Kilmarnock youngster Charlie McArthur has signed with Newcastle United.
The highly-rated Rugby Park academy product made his debut with the Ayrshire side last season playing in various SPFL Trust games, along with a Scottish Championship appearance against Raith Rovers.
After captaining Scotland Under-17s at this summer’s UEFA European Championships, he will now make the move to the English Premier League side.
Killie manager Derek McInnes said: “We understood, like all Scottish clubs, that we’re vulnerable to the richest league in the world with all the money that is available there.
“Ideally Charlie, as a Kilmarnock supporter, would have played 100 games for the Kilmarnock first team and we would have gotten a lot of satisfaction in seeing that.
“Unfortunately for us, a bigger club has come along and identified he’s a good player, which he is. The move was something that Charlie was keen on so once we established that with his agents, then it was all about us getting the fee that we wanted, which thankfully we did.
“We wish Charlie all the best. He’s a great kid and he’s someone we’ve really been impressed with in the short time that I’ve been here.
“You can see exactly why Newcastle would want to bring him into their system and we’ll look out for him and hope he does well there. He will always be welcome back at Rugby Park.”
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
