Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City weighing up transfer move for Stoke City player | OneFootball

Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Wolves and Nottingham Forest are all keen on Stoke City's Sol Sidibe.

Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea are among a host of clubs tracking talented Stoke City youngster Sol Sidibe as they consider a move for the midfielder.

The 17-year-old, who is the son of former Potters’ favourite Mamady, has been with the club since he was a kid, and he is very highly-rated at the Bet365 Stadium.

So much so, Sidibe has been part of Steven Schumacher’s squad this season, and he came off the bench to assist the winner against Plymouth Argyle prior to the international break.

The England youth international was also involved in the previous campaign, making eight appearances in total, which included a debut at just 16.

Sol Sidibe transfer latest

Unsurprisingly, his quality and potential have caught the eye of other clubs, with TBR Football claiming that many Premier League sides are ‘looking closely’ at Sidibe.

They state that City, Arsenal and Chelsea have all had representatives watching the youngster, whilst Aston Villa, Wolves and Nottingham Forest are also among those said to be ‘keen’ on the player.

Pleasingly for Stoke, they managed to act swiftly to tie Sidibe down to a contract earlier this year, as he put pen to paper on a three-year deal a few months after his 17th birthday, which was the first time the club could offer him professional terms.

Therefore, any club interested will have to agree a fee with Stoke, and they’re sure to drive a hard bargain considering the ability of the teenager.

Sol Sidibe can flourish at Stoke City

You can understand the appeal of these clubs for Sidibe, and there’s no doubt it will be tempting to make the step up to a Premier League side. However, right now, it’s hard to argue that this would benefit his career. Instead, staying with the Potters would make much more sense.

Firstly, they are a club that is close to his heart, but, more importantly, they have shown he can get the first-team minutes that he will want.

If Sidibe moved to the Premier League, the reality is that he would spend the next few years either out on loan or playing U23 football, whereas he is getting a taste of Championship action with Stoke.

So, he should relish this opportunity, and the challenge for Sidibe is to show Schumacher that he deserves more game time over the course of the season, but you can be sure that the manager has a plan to slowly integrate the exciting midfielder.

The fact Sidibe signed a contract earlier this year proves he is very happy in Staffordshire, so this isn’t going to particularly worry Stoke, even if they know a departure is inevitable at some point if the player continues to progress in the way many think he can.

Stoke City’s long-term plans

It’s a major positive for Stoke that they’re producing players that attract attention from some of the biggest clubs in the country.

Whilst the owners have shown they will invest over the years, they will want to see more come through the academy, and Sidibe, along with Emre Tezgel, proves there is real quality emerging, and they should be trying to build around them going forward.

The main aim for the club is to get back to the Premier League, but it’s good news for the club that the academy seems to be delivering right now.