Aston Villa defender Mitchell Clark is being tracked by West Ham United and Newcastle United, according to Birmingham Live.
The 19-year-old is currently on loan at League Two side Port Vale and has been shining for the Valiants.
His form has reportedly caught the attention of Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez and Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini, meaning that a move to England’s top tier could be on the cards.
Clark, who has represented Wales at under-17 and under-19 level, joined Port Vale in August after failing to break into the first-team at Villa Park. Since Clark made the temporary switch to Stoke-on-Trent, Villa have axed Steve Bruce and appointed Dean Smith as manager. The new boss may opt to recall the defender as a clause in his contract gives Smith the option to do so.
Whether his spell in League Two is cut short or not, Smith will certainly be monitoring the youngster’s progress as he looks to reshape a Villa squad that have underwhelmed thus far in the Championship. His reign as boss was kicked off with a win over Swansea City yesterday but the Villains trail sixth-placed Norwich City by three points.
As rumours of Premier League interest begin to surface, Villa supporters will be somewhat reassured by recent comments made by Clark regarding his desire to break into the club’s first-team:
“Having been at the Villa academy since I was nearly six years old, I have always wanted the club to be able to get back to where we want to be. Hopefully I can eventually go back and try to get my way into the team.”
Villa visit Norwich City on Tuesday night and Clark will be making the trip to Stevenage with loan club Port Vale.
