Leicester leading race for England starlet

Sheffield Wednesday wonderkid George Hirst has been heavily scouted in recent months by plenty of Premier League clubs, with Leicester City appearing to be ahead of the rest of the pack now.

Having had a £1m bid for the 18-year-old rejected, the Foxes have made an improved £2m offer with multiple add-ons for the player.

Hirst has always had a lot of pressure on his shoulders since he joined the club’s youth side. He had an exceptional season for Wednesday, scoring 32 goals for the Under-18s and Under-23s last season. The teen was also top-scorer at the Toulon youth tournament that England won, potting four times. He went on to appear for the senior side in two substitute appearances last season.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle and Everton have all been linked with the youngster previously. Speaking to the Echo this summer, the Blues’ chief under-23’s scout Jamie Hoyland confirmed that the Owls had rejected a January bid from the Toffees.

Everton have invested heavily in the youth sides this summer, picking up players like winger Josh Bowler and centre back Lewis Gibson who are England youth internationals of repute, while Dutch defender Nathan Markelo is well-thought of. French forward Boris Mathis is a bit of a wildcard but got off to a flying start scoring. German striker Anton Donkor comes back to the young Blues on loan again, after his last stint at Finch Farm was disrupted by injury.