Liverpool and Arsenal will have to see off competition from another of their Premier League rivals if they hope to land the midfielder.
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic
The Sun has claimed that Fulham are facing a fight to hold onto another of their exciting youngsters after a trio of Premier League heavyweights registered an interest in Matt O’Riley.
The Sun reports that Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are all monitoring the 15-year-old’s progress after he put in a string of impressive performances for the Cottagers’ under-18 side.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp
The Sun adds that O’Riley is yet to join the club’s academy but has been offered a scholarship and has been earmarked by the Championship side’s boss Slavisa Jokanovic as a player who could feature in the first-team as early as next season.
However, it appears that he may face a fight to keep him at Craven Cottage until next season. The Sun reports that O’Riley could command a fee of over £1m, but that is unlikely to deter the trio given their stature in the top flight.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Given the number of exciting youngsters that have come through the ranks at Fulham, it is hardly surprising that Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are interested in a player who The Sun claims has been compared to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo.
The likes of Moussa Dembele and Patrick Roberts have moved on following impressive breakthroughs with the club – with the latter moving to the Etihad – while current starlet Ryan Sessegnon has been attracting plenty of top flight attention.
Moussa Dembele came through the ranks at Craven Cottage
The Daily Mail reported in August that the Gunners and the Reds had been interested in the 16-year-old, who has been hugely impressive since breaking into the first-team.
And if O’Riley proves to have as much ability as those three, it seems likely that the interest in him will intensify in the coming months.
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