Brighton midfielder Marc Leonard has agreed to sign a new deal before being loaned out this summer, sources have told Football Insider.
The 21-year-old will extend his stay with the Seagulls and then head out on loan to gather experience, with a number of clubs chasing his signature.
Leonard is highly regarded at Brighton and the Premier League club were eager to tie him down to avoid losing him on a permanent basis while he continues his development elsewhere.
A number of EFL clubs have already shown interest in signing Leonard, including Charlton Athletic, Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United.
Football Insider understands that there is also interest in the young midfielder from several clubs abroad.
Leonard spent last season on loan at Northampton Town, where he helped the side to win promotion to League One.
Leonard only missed one league match for Northampton in 2022/23, and played a total of 3,576 minutes across all competitions.
He scored once and assisted once having mostly been deployed as a defensive midfielder by manager Jon Brady.
Leonard has been with Brighton since joining their youth academy in 2018 from Scottish outfit Hearts.
During his four years with the Seagulls, Leonard has made 36 appearances for their Under-18s side and 45 appearances for the Under-21s.
He has made two senior appearances for the side, with both coming in the EFL Cup.
Leonard has also progressed on the international stage and is currently part of Scotland’s Under-21s setup with seven caps to his name.