Brentford are near to completing a deal for AFC Wimbledon goalkeeper Matthew Cox, as reported by journalist Pete O'Rourke. 

The Premier League newbies' summer has started relatively slowly. But, it now seems that they are starting to kick into gear, with the club signing 23-year-old Frank Onyeka on Tuesday afternoon.

Although he is yet to make a first-team appearance, the highly-rated Cox was in and around Wimbledon's first-team squad for the majority of the second half of last season.

Cox progressed through Chelsea's academy after joining them as an 8-year-old, however, he left at the age of 14 and joined Wimbledon's U15 squad.

His impressive displays in-between the sticks as he continued his development, earned him a call-up for England at U17-level, featuring against Ukraine in February.

Football Insider reported on 15 July that The Bees had submitted a formal bid and it now seems that the clubs are coming to an agreement.

The verdict

Brentford are preparing for life in the Premier League and whilst most would expect them to engage in bigger deals for players who can help them compete immediately, these types of deals are just as important.

Cox will undoubtedly be one for the future and Brentford have a track record of successfully developing younger players into their first team.

Cox's immediate future will also be interesting to see if Brentford and Wimbledon strike a deal. It seems that it is still a little too early for Cox to start at Wimbledon in League One, instead, a League Two or National League loan period could benefit his career.

But equally, a year within Brentford's B team could be just as beneficial.