A teenage prospect from Down Under star has revealed why Aaron Mooy has the wow factor for young Aussies.

Sydney FC midfielder Cameron Peupion is reported to be closing on a move to Albion’s academy, despite interest from elsewhere, by sources in his home city.

Peupion met Mooy while training with the Seagulls at Lancing recently.

The 17-year-old playmaker said: “He’s always been a player I’ve looked up to and admired, so when he came up and said hello and had a bit of chat it was quite special.

“We share the same agent and Aaron was told there was an Aussie boy coming town, and he took me under his wing a little bit.

“I also got to meet Mat Ryan a couple of times, and those boys were really good to me.”

It is believed Peupion would initially link up with Albion’s under-18s with an eye to breaking into the under-23s.

Sydney FC, whose staff includes ex-Albion play-off winner Paul Reid, have told newspapers in the city they are in the final stages of negotiations for Peupion, who is believed to have a French passport.