Chelsea starlet Harvey Vale is attracting heavy interest ahead of January with the wider consensus being the versatile 21-year-old has outgrown the academy scene.
Championship clubs at home as well as teams abroad have began logging their interest in the England youth player who came on as a substitute in the Conference League victory over Astana in Kazakhstan this week.
Mail Sport can reveal Vale is eligible for an Irish passport which sources are citing as particularly attractive among foreign sides as he would therefore avoid taking up a non-European spot.
In Spain, for example, La Liga clubs can name no more than three non-EU players in their match-day squads.