Cardiff City are said to be interested in signing Wales youth international Elliot Thorpe after the midfielder's summer departure from Tottenham.
The 20-year-old left the Premier League club at the end of June when his contract expired, and has been without a club for more than two months.
However, Football Insider claim the Bluebirds and Severnside rivals Bristol City are both interested in signing the central midfielder.
Any previous move for the player would have required the buying club to pay a compensation fee to Spurs, however he is now available to sign on a free transfer which would no doubt be an attractive part of the equation for the Bluebirds, who have not spent any money since Mick McCarthy took over in January.
The talented youngster is said to have been close to a move to Germany back in July, with Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim having registered their interest in the player.
A deal collapsed at the 11th hour, though.
READ MORE: Meet Elliot Thorpe, the youngster Gareth Bale nicknamed 'Welshy' at Spurs
Thorpe, who was also courted by Leicester City and Brentford throughout the summer, is a box-to-box midfielder who was admired by former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho. Indeed, he looked close to making his first-team debut before the Portuguese boss was axed from his post in north London.
While Cardiff are well-stocked in that central midfield area, it is blatantly obvious they need a point of difference in the middle of the park.
Marlon Pack, Joe Ralls and Will Vaulks - and even Ryan Wintle before he left for Blackpool on loan - are all experienced players but are far too similar and one-dimensional in a team crying out for creativity.
There is a creative void in the middle of the park at Cardiff, especially given the long-term absence of Lee Tomlin, and a different type of player in there would be very much welcomed.
Thorpe, who Gareth Bale called 'Welshy' during their time together at Spurs, can play in a number of positions and his versatility is a big asset. He can play as a No. 10, No. 8 or even as a deep-lying midfielder.
And, at 20 years of age, he certainly fits the bill for Cardiff's current recruitment model: buying young, driving the average age down and the squad value up.
He is also Welsh, too, and Vincent Tan is keen to bring through more young Welsh talent in the coming years, a mantra which has bore fruit with the recent emergence of Mark Harris, Rubin Colwill, Sam Bowen and Kieron Evans.
With Pack, Ralls and Vaulks all out of contract next summer, a move for Thorpe might just be a nod to developing the first-team squad for next season and beyond.
