Marcus Edwards, the 17-year-old Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, is locked in a stand-off with the club and has not signed the professional contract that was put before him last December.

The attacking midfielder, who is rated as one of the best prospects from his age-group in England, remains on his scholarship deal, which expires in the summer of next year and, as things stand, he could then leave as a free agent for a fee fixed at a tribunal.

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A host of leading clubs in England and mainland Europe – alerted, in particular, by his performances for England Under-17s – have tracked his progress and they sense that he could be poached from Tottenham.

The club officially offered him professional terms on his 17th birthday on 3 December and it is unclear what has led to the impasse.

Edwards, who featured in the Guardian’s 2015 talents to watch, has been at Tottenham since the age of eight and he has long been considered as a future first-team player. He starred for England at the European Under-17 Championship last May while he also played at the Under-17 World Cup last October.