Everton are preparing to swoop for Manchester City youngster Tosin Adarabioyo and want to lure him to Goodison Park this month. The 19-year-old defender has just six months left on his current deal at The Etihad Stadium and talks over a new contract with City are believed to have stalled.

While both Adarabioyo and City are still keen on extending his stay in Manchester The Daily Mail claims Everton want to tie up a deal for the England Under-19 international during the January transfer window and are preparing a bid for the youngster. Tottenham, Celtic and Leicester City are also believed to be interested in the centre-back's services, but Ronald Koeman's men seem to be at the head of the pack.

Adarabioyo has made three appearances for the senior team this season but has not yet made his Premier League debut. As things stand the defender, who joined City when he was just five years old, will leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer, though Pep Guardiola's side will still receive a compensation fee due to his age.

Given City's defensive woes this season Guardiola may well turn to the talented teenager as he looks to fix his porous backline and get his side's season back on track. Adarabioyo is highly regarded by the club's hierarchy and is one of the reasons why they have not yet dipped into the transfer market for a new defender this month.

Tosin Adarabioyo
Adarabioyo is highly regarded by the City hierarchy Getty Images

If he did swap Manchester for Merseyside his chances of game-time would increase. Ronald Koeman is eager to bolster his central defensive options with doubts surrounding the future of Phil Jagielka and has already given debuts to young talents such as Tom Davies, Mason Holgate, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ademola Lookman.

The Blues have also been linked with January moves for Southampton pair Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte, while captain Jagielka could be set for a reunion with former boss David Moyes at Sunderland.