Leeds United and Southampton are among the clubs eyeing up a winter swoop for Larne starlet Jack Hastings, as per Football Insider.
Leeds United and Southampton are both pushing for immediate returns to the Premier League. They’re still some way back from top two Leicester City and Ipswich Town though, despite impressive runs of their own.
The Whites and the Saints sit 3rd and 4th in the Championship table respectively. The January window will provide opportunities for both to bolster their ranks with some fresh additions in the bid to close the gap to the top two.
Now though, it seems both have their eyes on a similar target in the form of Northern Irish prodigy Jack Hastings.
Football Insider claims that Leeds United, Southampton and Premier League pair Wolves and Crystal Palace are all showing interest in the Larne forward. He made his senior debut in the Irish Cup in January of this year and while he hasn’t made another first-team appearance since, he’s continued to make a name for himself.
Hastings, as per the report, has scored 20 goals already this season at U18 and U20 level. Scouts have been making regular checks and interest has been registered.
Despite their drops to the Championship, Leeds United and Southampton’s academies both retain high respect. Both clubs have produced a number of top talents over the years and they often swoop on other clubs to bring in new prospects to develop. That hasn’t changed despite their relegations, and it seems the second-tier pair could go to battle for Hastings in the near future.
Larne are bracing for bids in their promising striker but time will tell just how the situation pans out. The Northern Irish club’s director of football Iain Downes used to play for Crystal Palace and he alerted the Eagles of Hastings’ talents, potentially giving them the upper hand in the pursuit of his signature. All those keen, including Leeds United and Southampton, will be keeping a close eye on developments.
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