Teenage defender Dan Burn will join Fulham from Darlington in the summer for a record-breaking transfer fee.
Young defender to depart Darlington for Craven Cottage in summer
Teenage defender Dan Burn will join Fulham from Darlington in the summer for a record-breaking transfer fee.
The 18-year-old centre-back, who has agreed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage, will move for an initial six-figure fee which has not been disclosed by the clubs, but is reportedly higher than the non-league record of £260,000.
The Quakers, who are through to the FA Trophy final, stand to net over £1million in total for the defender, depending on his development and appearances for the Cottagers first-team.
Burn, who had been linked with several Premier League clubs, including Everton and Newcastle, is the second Darlington player to move to Fulham in recent years following goalkeeper David Stockdale's switch in 2008.
Quakers chairman Raj Singh was delighted to sew up the move and praised manager Mark Cooper for getting 'the best deal for the club'.
Fantastic
He told the
Northern Echo: "This represents a fantastic bit of business for Darlington and we're delighted for Dan that he's joining a top, Premier League club.
"Mark Cooper wanted to make sure Dan joined the right club and he kept me informed of all enquiries, ensuring we got the best possible deal while also looking after the player, so he deserves a lot of credit for that.
"I'd also like to thank Dan's parents for the way they've handled themselves. They allowed us to handle the deal without getting involved and trusted us to make sure it was right for both the club and the player.
"Dan will join Fulham at the end of the season and, naturally, we wish him our luck in what we hope and believe is the beginning of a very successful career."
Burn attracted top-flight attention despite having notched up just 19 appearances for Darlington since making his debut back in December 2009.
The teenager came into first-team reckoning in January as a stand-in for regular Adam Quinn, who is cup-tied for FA Trophy games.
He has since become as regular under Cooper, though will not feature in the Blue Square Premier this weekend as he is sidelined with a knee injury.
