Stoke City are looking to fight off Chelsea as they look to retain the service of Mohamed Sankoh, however, the Premier League side are in ‘pole position’ to wrap up a deal.

Sankoh is only 16, but he’s highly-rated at Stoke and the club are attempting to tie him down to terms ahead of a potential first professional deal in October.

However, according to Football Insider, there is a strong interest in the attacker from Chelsea, with the London giants said to be in ‘pole position’ to get a deal wrapped up.

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There is other interest from the Premier League in Tottenham and Everton, whilst Celtic are keen on luring the teenager to Scotland.

The attacker’s position with Stoke, where he’s excelled in the under-18s, means that the club would only be entitled to compensation for Sankoh and the fact there’s no contract agreed yet is encouraging the big guns of British football.

At Chelsea, Frank Lampard’s appointment as boss has increased the first-team leaning on the academy after years of recruiting from elsewhere.

Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour and Reece James are amongst some of the youngsters involved at Chelsea this season, with Lampard’s side in a strong position for Champions League qualification this season.

The Verdict

You can’t sit here and admit to know too much about Sankoh, who as a teenager, hasn’t been seen enough at a competitive level.

However, given the clubs that are sniffing around the teenager, you’ve got to imagine he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

Chelsea are a club that have looked after their young talents for a number of years now, with Lampard even starting to offer a future in the first-team.

They are a big club and if there’s an offer there, it is hard to imagine Stoke having much success in retaining the teenager.

Thoughts? Let us know!