Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are among the clubs considering bidding for highly-rated Derby County youngster Will Hughes.
Derby manager Nigel Clough is under pressure from the club’s American owners to raise £1.8 million in January, increasing the chances of the 17-year-old midfielder being sold during the transfer window.
Hughes is poised to become the second youngest player to represent the England Under-21s in Tuesday night’s friendly against Northern Ireland to raise his profile even further.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has sent scouts to watch Hughes this season, while Manchester City and Liverpool are also aware of his potential. His manager, Clough, has already compared him to a young Liam Brady.
Arsenal is understood to have made tentative contact over a possible deal. Wenger is keen to recruit more young talent for the future and has received glowing reports from chief scout Steve Rowley.
Derby will ask for at least £4 million and will attempt to resist any offers in the new year but are aware that an auction could raise the sale price even higher. The club’s owners are also keen to lower costs, primarily the wage bill.
Hughes, who has come through Derby’s highly-regarded academy and started 15 Championship games this season, received the news about his under-21s call-up last week after one of his A-level lessons.
He said: “Being called up for England Under-21s is a fantastic achievement on my part and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.
“You look at the names in the squad – people like Jordan Henderson, Tom Ince, Josh McEachran – they are the players I’ve been watching on TV over the past two or three years.
“So to be involved in a squad with those kind of players should be a great experience for me. It was a bit of a shock and I didn’t believe him at first, seeing as my last call-up was for the under-17s. But I’m delighted and I’m looking forward to the game.”
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