Stoke City are interested in signing Manchester City's Liam Delap on a loan deal.

The England youth international is highly-rated by the Premier League champions but with Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland at the club, the reality is that Delap isn't going to get game time this season.

Therefore, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of the striker, with Southampton known admirers as they seek a permanent transfer.

However, The Athletic have revealed that City have no interest in selling the 19-year-old, although they are open to a loan.

And, the same report claims the Potters are keen to secure a deal for Delap, but they will face competition from other Championship clubs.

Yet, one advantage Stoke could have over their rivals is that Delap's father, Rory, is part of the Stoke backroom team under Michael O'Neill, whilst he is also a former favourite after role he played for the club over the years.

O'Neill's side begin their Championship campaign with a game at Millwall this afternoon.

The verdict

This would be an excellent bit of business for Stoke, as even if they have already brought in Dwight Gayle, they could still do with another quality striker.

The City youngster is seen as a top talent in the country for his age but he has reached the stage where he needs to be playing regularly, so a loan move would be ideal.

It's no surprise that there's real competition for his signature, so if Stoke can pull this off it would be a real coup.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.