Stoke City centre-back Harry Souttar would be happy to stay at Stoke City despite transfer interest from multiple Premier League clubs, according to former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell.

The towering 22-year-old has attracted admiring glances recently due to his performances for the Potters, with Everton and Tottenham Hotspur said to have scouted the Australia international, who already has six goals for his nation.

And added to that list of admirers are Aston Villa, with Football Insider believing that Dean Smith has added the youngster to his shopping list way ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.

Stoke have already let one young defender in Nathan Collins depart for an eight-figure fee to Burnley this year so it would be a huge blow if Souttar's head were to be turned by the top flight vultures.

However according to Campbell, whose son Tyrese is also a top prospect at the bet365 Stadium and a team-mate of Souttar, the speculation will not be getting to the man mountain of a defender and he believes that Souttar will be fully focused on Stoke.

“I know Harry Souttar really well because of course he plays with my son there. I think Harry would be happy to stay, 100 per cent he would be," Campbell told Football Insider.

“It does not do him any harm having the likes of Aston Villa interested in him though. He’s a young player doing the business.

“If you are a top Championship club who are battling for promotion you expect the top-flight clubs to be looking.

"I’d have been surprised if Premier League clubs weren’t watching him. He’s made a huge difference at the back for Stoke.

“Harry is a very good young player with a big future ahead of him.”

The Verdict

In some instances we see young players get overwhelmed with transfer speculation linking them to big clubs, but we can trust Campbell considering he will know Souttar from a first-hand experience.

Souttar has looked unflappable at the back for the Potters this season, contributing to many clean sheets in what is a young defence alongside Ben Wilmot and Leo Ostigard for the most part.

The Aussie does obviously stand out to many because of his height but it's also his ability with the ball at his feet for a central defender which is surprisingly and it's no surprise to see top flight clubs linked with his signature.

Until January though it is all speculation so Souttar just has to get his head down, and then the real talking will begin at the start of 2022 when the aforementioned clubs are able to do dealings.