Highly-rated Grimsby Town midfielder Kamil Conteh is already subject to interest from elsewhere, with League One outfit Bristol Rovers having lodged a transfer bid.
According to Bristol Live, the Gas’ interest is genuine and they have put in an initial offer for the 21-year-old, who only joined the Mariners back in July, signing on a three-year deal from Championship club Middlesbrough.
The Sierra Leone international has impressed in his 28 Town appearances so far despite the team’s overall struggles and shown why there was plenty of interest in him at Town’s level once it was clear he was not going to stay in Middlesbrough.
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It was a loan spell in the National League with Gateshead last term that raised the profile of the former Watford academy player, making 33 league appearances and helping the club reach the FA Trophy final.
Town went in and paid an undisclosed fee for the player who was still under contract at Boro and committed him to a three-year contract this summer. With two-and-a-half years left on that contract, Grimsby are likely to command a big fee from anyone who wants to come in for Conteh at this early stage.
The general feeling is that the Mariners are likely to hold out until next summer at the very least to genuinely consider any bids for their man, given how long is left on his deal and the difficulty of replacing a young player of his quality in the January window.
Bristol Rovers’ interest has recently been made public, but there are likely to be other clubs watching the progress of the 21-year-old, with a club-record fee likely required from the League One side to have a chance of prizing Conteh away from Blundell Park this month.
The young midfielder has settled in well at Grimsby despite how the season has unfolded, playing a big role in the team under the man who brought him into the club Paul Hurst and now with David Artell, both of whom see his potential.
Defensively speaking, he is one of the best young players at this level, leading the league for total completed tackles, and with more interceptions per 90 than anyone else in the Mariners squad this term.
Town will not want to lose the player this month but have to have been prepared for the eventuality of interest from clubs higher up the pyramid for a quickly progressing talent with plenty of upside.
Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/
