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Birmingham City are trying to tie down England goalkeeper prospect Alfie Smith ahead of increasing competition from Premier League clubs.
Smith became the second youngest keeper ever to appear at Premier League Under-18 level last weekend when he kept goal for Birmingham - aged just 14 - in a 4-3 win at Fulham.
The Championship club, co-owned by former NFL star Tom Brady, are working to convince the highly-rated teenager and his family that the best chance for his future career pathway remains at St Andrew's.
Smith quickly showed watching scouts why Birmingham coaches have been willing to put such responsibility on young shoulders at the weekend when he teed up his team's opening goal against Fulham after just 20 seconds with a 70-yard pass to winger Aurelien Guernier who crossed for Louie Rea to finish.
He later made a crucial save on 87 minutes to ensure his side held on to their first victory of the season.
Smith, who in the process also became the youngest player to appear in the U18 Premier League this season, is already 6ft 1ins tall and is equally good on both feet.
Tom Brady's Birmingham are trying to die one of their exciting youngsters down to a new deal
14-year-old goalkeeper Alfie Smith is catching the eye of the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea
His rise through the ranks is catching the eye of top-level clubs though with Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all charting his progress. That is no surprise considering the strides he has been making in recent months.
The 14-year-old was named as Blues Academy's Uunder-15 player of last season and featured for England U15s.
It came on the back of a campaign where Smith made his debut for the club's U18s in March, becoming the youngest player since Jude Bellingham to feature for the club at that level - which prompted a thumbs up on social media from the Real Madrid star.
Not satisfied with that, Smith also kept a clean sheet when he was called up to represent England U16s against Italy in August. However, Smith's team-mates have ensured he stays grounded.
On the coach journey back from Fulham last weekend, they called him out to do the customary team initiation song.
Not shy of a challenge, Smith opted to sing John Legend's 'All of Me' but even then, produced another competent performance, this time on the microphone to earn the applause of his peers.
Birmingham could yet be blessed with an embarrassment of riches at academy level.
Head of goalkeeping Dan Tumelty Bevan has overseen the emergence of another schoolboy international shot-stopper, Max Pearce, who was recently rewarded by being called up for two of the FA's emerging talent ID camps at St George's Park.
