Man City have watched Kilmarnock starlet Charlie McArthur, while Liverpool and Brighton are both also interested in the teenager, according to Football Scotland.
The 16-year-old centre-back has already captained Scotland at U17 level and has played twice for Killie’s first team in the Challenge Cup this season.
He played the full 90 minutes of their round of 16 win over League One club Queen’s Park in October and backed that up with another 90-minute outing in a 3-2 quarter-final win over fellow Championship side Hamilton Accies in November.
Football Scotland reports that Man City are interested in the teen and have already sent scouts to watch him in action, while Brighton are also keen and Liverpool are monitoring his situation.
Killie boss Tommy Wright has already labelled him ‘very very good’ and ‘a dream to work with’.
Man City, Liverpool and Brighton interested in McArthur
McArthur is clearly only in the very early stages of his senior career and is yet to make a matchday squad for Kilmarnock in the league.
Wright’s praise will no doubt encourage those tracking him, though, and the fact that he’s receiving opportunities in cup competitions and taking on leadership roles in youth internationals will only accelerate his development.
Man City have previous in terms of swooping for talented Kilmarnock youngsters, as they signed Liam Smith in 2020 when he was also only 16, and landing McArthur could boost their hopes of Premier League 2 success.
It looks like they face competition to land this particular starlet, but their status as Premier League champions and league leaders should be a big pull.
Liverpool are also flying right now, though, while there could be a clearer pathway to first-team football at Brighton.
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