Five clubs reportedly in the running for Glentoran midfielder Terry Devlin

The 19-year-old switched to Glentoran from Dungannon Swifts last summer and thrived in his first campaign in full-time football, playing 35 Premiership games as the east Belfast club sealed their spot in Europe for next season with a 2-0 play-off victory over Cliftonville.

Portsmouth are rumoured to be the front-runners in the race for his signature but our sister publication The News say another four clubs are on the hunt, including Premier League giants Crystal Palace, who are no strangers to Irish League dealings having signed Kofi Balmer from Larne last year.

Oxford United, another who have delved into the local market by signing Mark Sykes, Joel Cooper and Gavin Whyte in recent years, are also linked with a move for Devlin, as are Championship clubs Stoke City and Sunderland.

Devlin has represented Northern Ireland at U19 and U21 level, making his debut for the latter against Spain last summer in midfield alongside Ethan Galbraith.

It could be a busy couple of months at The Oval but speaking during a visit to Belfast on Tuesday, owner Ali Pour says it’s high on his list of priorities to try and tie down key personnel to new deals.

While it’s almost a certainty that Devlin will leave, the likes of Conor McMenamin and Bobby Burns have also been linked with clubs across the water but Pour wants to hold onto the influential duo.

"I will be talking to them and I would like to keep them all here if I can,” he said. “It is (a priority).

"If Conor has his heart set on leaving then there's not much I can do but we will try our best to keep him for sure.

"Who was talking about Conor Mac three years ago? Not many people. The fact he came here and we helped his growth is something to be proud of.

"If he does leave us to go across the water at his age, which is unheard of, we would be proud of that and supportive of it."