One of the last season’s top two in the Championship is interested in bringing a Grimsby Town youngster into their ranks.

According to sources in West Yorkshire, Marco Bielsa’s Leeds United side are closely monitoring the progress of young defender Ben Grist.

The 15-year-old was named in the Mariners’ squad for the recent EFL Trophy tie with Harrogate Town at Blundell Park – a game that saw Grist’s under-16 team-mate Louis Boyd break Town’s record for youngest appearance maker and goalscorer.

It is understood that representatives from Elland Road have been tracking the defender from Louth as far back as New Year.

That news will come as no surprise to the Mariners’ backroom staff as the Youth Development Lead Coach at Leeds is Michal Pudjak, who previously held a similar role at Blundell Park between 2017 and 2019.

The domestic transfer window still has a few days to run but it is unlikely the Whites will make their move before then, instead waiting until the end of the campaign and seeing how the player develops. This could come in as an excellent bargaining tool for the Mariners, especially if Grist makes first team appearances during the season.

Picture: By Boxingfan1995 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94592109