Leicester City have taken 17-year-old defender Lucas Ness on trial with a view to signing the sought-after starlet on a permanent deal.
The teenager has been training with the Foxes this week, with his current club Metropolitan Police allowing him to take up the Premier League side's offer.
Once on the books at Fulham, Ness has drawn interest from a number of top tier and Championship clubs after impressing in the seventh-tier of English football.
90min understands that Leicester are now in a position to beat their rivals in the race for the potential wonderkid, who was a standout figure as the Met secured a third-place finish in 2018/19.
Coach Brendan Rodgers is known for his ability to nurture youth, the Northern Irishman having been instrumental in Raheem Sterling's breakthrough at Liverpool back in 2012.
Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Youri Tielemans represent three of the best young players currently leading the Foxes' revival under Rodgers.
The Midlands outfit are third in the Premier League following their first four fixtures of the new campaign, winning two and drawing two in a promising start to the season.
A significant number of sides from the top two divisions were keen to test his mettle and see whether he can cope at a higher level.
Though Ness currently plays for the Met, he has no affiliation to the police force itself. In fact, the Southern League Premier Division South side - which is funded by a police staff lottery - has long removed the rule requiring players to also be employees.
Source : 90min