Larne striker Matthew Lusty is a wanted man with several English Premier League clubs tracking the talented teenager.
Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa and Everton are understood to be two of the cross-channel clubs currently monitoring the talented 18-year-old who recently joined Portadown on a short-term loan.
Lusty, who has been part of the Northern Ireland Under-19 set-up in recent months, made his senior Larne debut in a thumping 8-1 Irish Cup win over Dollingstown in May.
His first goal came off the bench against Dollingstown, while his first league goal came in a 2-1 defeat to Coleraine later that month.
He was also on target in last month's 8-0 win over Ballyclare Comrades in the semi-finals of the County Antrim Shield.
The teenager became the first scholar of the Larne academy to sign a professional deal with the Inver Park club in March.
At that time, Larne boss Tiernan Lynch said: “We have been hugely impressed with Matty’s talent and willingness to learn, both with his peers and around senior players at the club.”
Lusty recently went to Portadown on loan until the end of the season as part of the deal that saw Ports striker Lee Bonis make a £100,000 move to Larne.
After confirming the move, Larne boss Lynch said: “Matty has been superb for us over the last year and a half and he’s at the stage of his development where he needs to taste more senior football.
“He knows how highly we think of him and hopefully this short loan spell will be a big benefit for him and Portadown as well.”
