Ipswich Town sensation Connor Wickham is ready to reject a move to Liverpool as he wants to join Arsenal or Tottenham in January, Goal.com UK can reveal.
Liverpool are hoping to win the race for the highly regarded striker by meeting the £10 million asking price set by Ipswich.
But Goal.com UK understands Wickham has sparked a battle in north London for his signature by telling Ipswich he favours a move to Arsenal or Spurs.
Tottenham are concerned about the size of the transfer fee but remain in pole position to sign the 17-year-old wonderkid and are prepared to offer £5.5m plus youngsters Andros Townsend and Jake Livermore, who are currently impressing on loan at Portman Road.
It is believed Ipswich would be prepared to accept the offer but may demand Giovani dos Santos on loan to clinch the deal. The Mexican star is out of favour at White Hart Lane and had a successful previous loan spell at Ipswich in 2009.
As Goal.com UK revealed in October, Arsenal have also been scouting Wickham but are yet to make a formal approach for the England under-21 international.
Ipswich were initially determined to hold on to Wickham until at least next summer but now appear ready to sanction a sale in the January transfer window.
Wickham has played just three games this season for the struggling Championship side due to ankle and knee injuries, but that has not deterred the Premier League big guns from making a move for the Colchester-born forward.
The 6ft 3in teenager fits into Liverpool’s new policy of signing the best young English talent and has been identified as an ideal signing by manager Roy Hodgson.
But despite being a Liverpool fan, Wickham does not feel a move to Anfield would be the best decision for his future and director of football strategy Damien Comolli faces an almost impossible task in convincing him to change his mind.
Wickham is understood to have been swayed by the progress of the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Tom Huddlestone at Spurs while Arsene Wenger has a history of nurturing rising stars at Arsenal.
Tottenham were widely reported to have made an £8.5m bid in the summer based largely on appearance and performance-related clauses for the striker, who has been praised for his power, athleticism and finishing.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp believes Wickham will become a regular England international and was given a glowing recommendation by scouts after he starred for England in the European Under-17 Championships last May. He scored both goals in the semi-final win over France and then followed it up with the winner against Spain in the final.
He is the youngest first-team player in Ipswich’s history and has been mainly used as an impact substitute by manager Roy Keane, who is under pressure as his side sit 17th in the Championship following five defeats in a row.
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