Stoke beat Sunderland to non-league forward Devlin.
Stoke City have bolstered their attacking options by signing highly-rated non-league striker Jack Devlin on a professional contract.
The 19-year-old makes the move to the Premier League club from Northern League Division One side Northern Benfield which is a staggering jump of eight divisions.
Pacey striker Devlin has been in prolific form for Northern Benfield since joining them in October, scoring 25 goals and his performances have brought him to the attention of a number clubs higher up the football pyramid.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes
The talented forward was invited for trials at Stoke and Sunderland and he is thought to have impressed at the two clubs, but Stoke have moved quickly to beat off interest from their Premier League rivals to snap up Devlin.
Premier League clubs are now actively scouting more non-league players after seeing the success of the likes of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Burnley’s Andre Gray making the step up from non-league football to the Premier League in recent years
Devlin is initially set to link up with Stoke’s Under-23’s with the aim of breaking into Mark Hughes’ first-team in the near future.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
