Leeds United are the latest side to take an interest in signing 17-year-old Hearts defender Aaron Hickey, a report from a print edition of The Scottish Sun (20/10, p65) has claimed.

Hickey broke into Hearts senior side at the back end of last season, and has already started eight Scottish Premier League games in the current campaign, where Hearts currently sit tenth.

It seems that the rapid rise of left-back has already caught plenty of attention, with the latest reports claiming that Leeds are set to make a move to sign the teenager when the transfer window reopens in January, after monitoring his recent performances for Hearts.

Marcelo Bielsa's side will not be alone in their pursuit of the teenager however. The Scottish Sun have recently claimed that Scottish giants Rangers will make a £2million bid for Hickey in January, while Leeds' Championship rivals QPR are lining up a £1.5million move for the defender - according to The Daily Record.

The Daily Mail meanwhile, have claimed that defending Premier League champions Manchester City are looking to sign Hickey in January, before loaning him back Hearts, in order to beat off interest from a number of other top-flight clubs.

The Verdict

This could be a good signing for Leeds.

The way that Hickey has broken into the Hearts senior side so quickly is an indicator of how much potential and ability he has, and that is something that could benefit Leeds greatly.

Having brought through a number of young players into their own first-team in recent years, it does appear as though Hickey - even at this early age - fits the bill for the type of player Leeds may be looking for going forward.

However, with the level of interest in the teenager that there appears to be from elsewhere, it seems that signing him will be no easy task for Marcelo Bielsa's side.