Everton, Southampton, Brighton & Brentford in battle to sign Millwall player | OneFootball

Teenage talent Josh Stephenson is said to be attracting plenty of Premier League interest

Premier League duo Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion are said to be interested in Millwall starlet Josh Stephenson, according to a report from Football Insider.

The top flight clubs join Brentford and Southampton in keeping tabs on the 18-year-old, who is yet to make his debut for the Lions first-team side, but has excelled at youth level for the East London club.

The teenager has impressed during his rise up through the ranks at the Bermondsey outfit, and was named as the club’s Academy Player of the Season for the most recent campaign.

The young star can play in both defence and midfield, and with plenty of top flight interest, Neil Harris’ side now have a fight on their hands to keep him theirs during the summer transfer window.

Everton, Brighton, Brentford & Southampton in pursuit of Millwall starlet Josh Stephenson

Despite having yet to make his debut for the Lions, Stephenson is a player that has earned rave reviews during his flourishing youth career, with standout performances for the development side at The Den in recent times.

The starlet excelled in his side’s run to the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in the previous campaign, before bowing out in the final four after a classic 4-3 encounter with Leeds United.

Stephenson played in 420 minutes’ worth of football during their remarkable run - with two of the matches going all the way to penalties - and he also held the captain’s armband for the final three rounds of the tournament.

Having netted in the epic against Leeds, the 18-year-old had been offered a new deal by the Championship side at the end of the most-recent campaign, although there has been no update on whether he has committed himself to the club since.

With that in mind, the Premier League quartet have wasted no time in their attempts to get their hands on the teenage talent this summer, with interest gathering as his latest contract seemingly remains unsigned.

Premier League interest signals bright future ahead for Millwall’s Josh Stephenson

He may not have featured for the Lions in the Championship during his brief career to date, but there is no question that Stephenson is a player earmarked for the very top after his summer interest.

The likes of Brentford and Brighton have established reputations within the English game as having their ear on the ground when it comes to canny transfer additions, and with the pair said to be interested, the young star’s future looks bright.

With the latest news about interest in his signature, the teenager faces a big decision over the coming weeks, with a massive crossroads appearing at such an early point in his career.

Whether he would get a chance under Harris if he chose to stay at Millwall next season would remain to be seen, but the Premier League sides would most likely fancy an EFL loan option in the future if they were to make him theirs, with his development likely to continue on an upwards trajectory.