Hull City have had a big for highly-rated Stockport County defender Festus Arthur rejected, amid interest from Leicester City, according to Football Insider.

The Tigers are currently in the midst of a mini injury crisis as they have three defenders ruled out for the weekend’s glamour FA Cup tie against Chelsea, those being Jordy de Wijs, Matthew Pennington, and Callum Elder.

Behind de Wijs and Reece Burke in the pecking order, Hull are struggling for numbers that are capable of playing regularly in the Championship with Pennington struggling in different loan spells and Ryan Tafazolli rarely featuring.

Manager Grant McCann has now turned his attention to the non-league and Stockport County for their 18-year-old towering defender Festus Arthur, according to Football Insider.

Arthur has emerged as a real talent at Edgeley Park, making 24 league appearances this season in the Conference Premier, scoring twice from centre-back in the process.

Hull are not the only club interested in signing the talented defender, as Leicester City are also keen on striking a deal for the youngster, as well as reports indicating Championship rivals Barnsley are preparing a bid for Arthur this month.

The 18-year-old is out of contract in the summer and would be able to leave Stockport for nothing at the end of the season.

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The verdict

Hull definitely won’t be the only club looking to sign Arthur this month, with Leicester and Barnsley already being credited with interest in him too.

Arthur might not be the answer to Hull’s problems this season as he is a teenager coming from a non-league setting, but it would be a very solid investment for the future.

Learning from de Wijs and Burke, Arthur would grow a lot under Grant McCann and playing under a manager who has been willing to give youth a chance at the KCOM Stadium this season.

They face stiff competition, but the move would be a very favourable one for Arthur in a stable Championship club that have no concerns at the bottom end of the table and can battle for the play-offs in the second half of the season.