Aston Villa and Leeds United are keen on snapping up Coventry City youngster Sam McCallum, according to Football Insider.
The 19-year-old has established himself as a key player for the Sky Blues since breaking into the first team for City this season.
And it is understood that both Villa and Leeds are keen on swooping for the full-back, and that the midlands club in particular are planning on scouting the youngster regularly in the coming months.
How good is McCallum?
McCallum may only have 15 appearances to his name for Coventry, but he is already being tipped to make it at Premier League level, as outlined in Football Insider’s report on the matter.
He still has an awful lot to prove, of course, but the fact that this time a year ago he had just left non-league football should be a clear indicator of how quickly he is improving, and how steep his current trajectory is.
He was recently described by radio pundit and former Carlisle United and Bradford City boss Greg Abbott as “outstanding”. [Coventry Evening Telegraph]
Signing him would be a gamble, no matter who launches a raid, but if he reaches the potential that he has promised to already, then he could be a real coup.
Do Leeds need him?
At the moment Leeds are well-covered at left-back in the first team.
Ezgjan Alioski is featuring prominently and Leeds also have the experienced Barry Douglas waiting in the wings.
However, in the Under-23s it’s a different matter. Carlos Corberan has three right-backs to call on but just one left-back in Matty Downing. McCallum could potentially hit the ground running in the Under-23s and start to develop his game under the watchful eye of Marcelo Bielsa.
There’s real synergy between the Under-23s and the first-team at Leeds and that could be the very best thing for his career at the moment.