The chase is hotting up for Ipswich Town’s 16-year-old wonderkid Connor Wickham with the biggest clubs in the world reported to be battling for his signature.

The former Colchester schoolboy is regarded as one of the hottest properties in the English game and a scramble is building for his signature.

He cannot sign a professional contract at Portman Road until March 31 – when he turns 17 – and this has left Town vulnerable to approaches from Premier League clubs.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are all reported to be in the hunt for the giant striker, whose profile was raised further two weeks ago when he scored a 21 minute hat-trick for England under-17s.

His physical maturity has seen him likened to Wayne Rooney at a similar age, and although Town are keen to play down his progress, his ability at first team level has already been evident this season, with two goals in a Carling Cup tie against Shrewsbury.

Town will be hoping they can agree a deal to keep Wickham at the club and will try and entice him with the prospect of regular involvement in the first team, whereas if he moved on to a Premier League club, it is highly likely he would be in the reserves for a couple of seasons.

As well as scoring goals and being a constant nuisance to defenders, Wickham has another string to his bow – one of the longest throws in the Coca-Cola Championship.