EVERTON are confident of fending off interest from Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Juventus and keeping hold of starlet Thierry Small.
The 16-year-old left back has been linked with a switch away from Goodison Park over recent months after catching the eye.
Wolfsburg, Valencia, Monaco and Benfica have also been registered with an interest.
He was promoted to the club’s Under-23 side recently and impressed on his debut against Blackburn Rovers.
Now U23s boss David Unsworth has told the Liverpool Echo he is confident the ace will stay – and told him there is no better place for him to develop into a first-team regular.
He said: “The one thing that we can give Thierry is a clear pathway.
“There’s always a clear pathway at Everton for all the youngsters so he’s in no better place to have a career as a Premier League footballer.”
Small is considered one of the best young defenders in England and has even been compared to Bayern’s star left-back Alphonso Davies.
Having won U16 Player of the Year last season, Everton have offered Small a lucrative three-year contract in a bid to keep him on Merseyside.
But Small – whose uncle Bryan played for Aston Villa in the Premier League – is still yet to commit his future to the Blues.
ARSENAL BETTING TIPS: Southampton have to fancy themselves against Gunners, with Danny Ings a solid bet to score
He joined the Toffees’ academy from West Brom aged 11 and has already landed a sponsorship deal with Puma.
Arsenal were plotting a swoop for him, while Bayern Munich were hoping to lure him to Germany.
They believed they could persuade him to make the switch and follow in the footsteps of other English youngsters who have developed into first team stars in the Bundesliga.
Jadon Sancho did it at Borussia Dortmund and Jude Belligham has followed the England international with his move from Birmingham in July.
Read our Arsenal live blog for the latest news from The Emirates
