SWINDON Town’s 13-year-old goalkeeper Jared Thompson is set to join Chelsea after the European Champions agreed to pay an undisclosed compensation fee for the youngster.

Thompson, whose brother Conor is a Northern Ireland Under 17 international stopper, has yet to formally sign on with the Barclays Premier League giants but an agreement has been reached which will see the talented keeper move to Stamford Bridge over the summer.

Thompson’s father Paul posted on Facebook: “As very proud parents, myself and Andrea would like to confirm to all our friends and family that, as of today, Swindon Town Football Club have accepted an undisclosed fee from Chelsea Football Club for our 13-year-old son Jared Thompson.

“We would like to take this opportunity in congratulating Jared for this momentous, once in a lifetime achievement.”

Thompson will become the latest of a succession of young Swindon footballers to have made the switch to top-flight clubs.

Alex Henshall was snapped up by Manchester City two years ago for a reported £250,000 as a 16-year-old, while goalkeeper Jamie Stephens moved to Liverpool in 2010 after impressing on trial.

Centre-back Ben Tozer swapped Swindon for Newcastle in 2008 after featuring just seven times for the Robins, just 12 months after another talented teenager, Lukas Jutkiewicz, signed for Everton for a reported seven-figure fee.

Meanwhile, Torquay manager Martin Ling has said money raised from the potential sale of Eunan O’Kane could fund a bid for Town forward Billy Bodin.

Crawley have triggered a release clause in O’Kane’s contract at Plainmoor and, if he agrees personal terms at the Broadfield Stadium, Ling has revealed that he will use some of the proceeds to take Bodin to Devon.

He said: “At this moment in time, with Eunan at the football club, there’s probably not the money to go ahead and bid for Billy Bodin and meet his wage demands, which will be a lot higher than they were previously because there are clubs interested in him.

“If Eunan O’Kane moved on, obviously that would open up other avenues and Billy would come into the equation.

“Billy would fit the criteria as someone that would improve the football club, but at this moment in time he's out of our reach because we haven’t got the money to go out and get him.

“But I promise the supporters I’ll be doing my damndest to fetch a player that will be of Eunan's quality,” Ling added.”