Sunderland are one of several Premier League clubs, including Leeds United, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Fulham, that are monitoring Hearts' Scottish defender Alfie Osborne and have inquired about his situation in recent weeks. Arsenal and Manchester City are the primary contenders to sign the 17-year-old. According to sources, representatives from both Arsenal and City attended the Scotland Under-19s' match against Italy on Wednesday to observe the player. His notable performance reportedly increased interest from clubs, which are now increasing their efforts to arrange a summer transfer. Under current regulations, English clubs could sign Osborne for a compensation fee of less than £250,000. While Hearts have made efforts to secure him on a new long-term contract at Tynecastle, it has been reported that Osborne does not currently plan to extend his contract, making a summer departure possible. The Scotland U19 international has four caps for his country and has made 27 appearances in the Scottish Lowland Football League this season, scoring one goal.