Liverpool and Everton are ready to step up their interest in exciting Wigan attacker Joe Gelhardt, we can reveal.
The 17-year-old, who hails from Merseyside, has already broken into the first-team squad at the DW Stadium.
The left-sided forward has been a stand-out performer for England’s youth sides, which has seen a host of Premier League and European clubs track his progress.
The youngster is contracted to Wigan until 2021, but with the Reds selling Bobby Duncan to Fiorentina, there would appear to be a vacancy in the forward department of their Under-23 squad.
But now it is believed that Gelhardt will be left to decide between the red and blue half of Merseyside.