Stoke City are keeping tabs on Peterborough United's Ronnie Edwards as they put plans in place should Harry Souttar leave the club.

The giant Australian has been the subject of a bid from Leicester City and whilst Alex Neil has cooled talk of the centre-back departing, there is obviously a chance the Foxes stump up serious cash to land the player before the deadline.

And, should that happen, TEAMtalk have revealed that Stoke could turn to Edwards, who has impressed for Peterborough.

Even though he's only 19, the England youth international has made over 50 appearances for The Posh and has been linked with several clubs over the past 18 months, including Crystal Palace.

Whilst the update confirms that top-flight interest in the youngster remains, they add that the Potters could move swiftly to sign Edwards if they require a new option at the back.

It has been claimed that Leicester and Stoke are currently 'not close' when it comes to agreeing a fee for Souttar, but further talks are likely to take place before the deadline, which is at 11pm on Tuesday night.

The verdict

This is sensible from Stoke as whilst they don't want to lose Souttar, every player has a price and if Leicester reach that valuation then they are right to sell.

In that instance, particularly at this stage of the window, it's crucial you have a replacement lined up and Edwards would be a real coup if the Potters could bring him in.

Of course, Souttar would be a tough player to replace but Edwards has shown in the past 18 months that the hype around him is justified and many expect him to reach the highest level at some point in his career.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.