Scouts from Stoke City and Norwich City were among those reportedly spotted at Port Vale’s most recent fixture.
The Daily Star reports that scouts from Stoke City and Norwich City were among those watching Port Vale’s Nathan Smith in action at the weekend.
Arsenal and Liverpool representatives were also said to be in attendance as Vale slipped to a 2-0 defeat at League One rivals Charlton Athletic.
Vale, however, are only two points off a play-off place despite the defeat and Smith has been key to their improvement under Bruno Ribeiro.
The 20-year-old has made all 22 of his Valiants appearances under the former Leeds United midfielder, prompting the Potteries side to hand him a new three-year deal this autumn.
It is unlikely that either Stoke or Norwich will be deterred by Vale’s reported £1.5 million asking price, although a move to Mark Hughes’ side – their fierce local rivals – would be somewhat controversial.
Whether the pair will still be keen on Smith in January remains to be seen, given that Stoke recently signed Dundee United centre-back Harry Souttar while the future of Norwich manager Alex Neil is reportedly uncertain.
And even if they are, the alleged interest from Arsenal and Liverpool could see both the Potters and Canaries miss out.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
