Arsenal, Everton, West Ham United are among clubs reportedly interested in Preston North End’s teenage midfield prospect Lewis Leigh.
According to a report from football.london, Preston North End’s 17-year-old midfield prodigy Lewis Leigh seems to be a man in demand in the Premier League, with the likes of Arsenal, Everton and West Ham United all vying for his signing.
Leigh joined Preston at the Under-14 age-group level after he was released by Liverpool and has since grown steadily within the youth ranks with the Lilywhites. The 17-year-old midfielder made his debut for Preston North End’s Under-18 outfit in January earlier this year in a FA Youth Cup tie against Lincoln and was one of the standout performers even though his team ended up losing.
A month later, Leigh was on the bench for the first-team as Preston played Millwall in the EFL Championship but is yet to make his senior bow for the Deepdale outfit. However, Leigh has been involved with the senior squad during the pre-season ahead of the 2021/22 campaign and has been making a decent impression.
Currently entering the final year of his scholarship contract with the Lilywhites, the central midfielder is largely expected to sign a new deal with the club but is attracting serious interest from the Premier League.
?Lewis Leigh opened the scoring this afternoon and the 17-year-old was delighted to contribute after beginning pre-season with the first team squad.
➡️ https://t.co/EQKGOqEGgh#pnefc #PNEU18 pic.twitter.com/cXr98dR9Ae
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) July 10, 2021
Arsenal are among the clubs that are seemingly keen on Leigh, which should not come as a surprise considering the Gunners’ rich history of nurturing and promoting young talents. Even under Mikel Arteta, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe are thriving at the first-team level, making the north London club an attractive destination for youngsters with potential, like Leigh.
However, the Gunners are set to face competition in the race for the 17-year-old Preston North End starlet as Everton, too, are showing an interest in securing his services, where he could form the core of promising future stars like Tyler Onyango, Harry Tyrer and Thierry Small, among others, although the latter has been linked with an exit.
Apart from Arsenal and Everton, West Ham United are also said to be among the admirers of Leigh, where he could go on to follow in the footsteps of someone like Declan Rice and make it big at the first-team level in the coming years. In addition to the three clubs mentioned, Leicester City are also looking at Leigh to bolster their youth ranks, the report adds.
There seems to be no shortage of suitors for the teenage prospect, and it now remains to be seen if he signs a new deal with Preston North End or decides to move to a top-flight club.
