Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are at the centre of a tug of war for Nathan Porritt, a young talent who has been dubbed “the next Ryan Giggs”.

Porritt’s future is expected to be decided in the next fortnight after the 17-year-old Middlesbrough winger rejected the offer of a professional contract at the Riverside Stadium. Newcastle United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, who recently sent scouts to Kosovo to watch Porritt in the England Under-17 team’s 5-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, have also shown interest, although Chelsea are thought to be the favourites to sign him.

Porritt came to the wider public’s attention in September last year, when Frank Arnesen, the Chelsea director of youth development and scouting, was secretly filmed by the BBC’s Panorama programme making an alleged illegal approach for the player. Arnesen was quoted offering Porritt a package of £150,000 over three years, while Peter Harrison, Porritt’s agent, was recorded claiming that Newcastle officials had also shown interest in signing the winger. Liverpool were also implicated, with a club official quoted as saying: “I think we could sign him and then bring him here at 17.”

However, Middlesbrough declined to report Chelsea, Liverpool or Newcastle to the football authorities and the allegations have not dissuaded the clubs from chasing Porritt’s signature.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, is thought to view Porritt as a potential successor to Giggs on the left flank at Old Trafford, but it is Chelsea who are believed to hold the upper hand.

Whoever succeeds in luring Porritt will have to pay Middlesbrough at least £500,000 in compensation and possibly much more. Middlesbrough were eager to keep Porritt, but after the player rejected the offer of a professional contract when he turned 17 in January they reluctantly accepted that his future lay elsewhere.

Although there are concerns about how the publicity might affect the player, Porritt is thought to have kept his feet on the ground and is relishing the move to a bigger club. Real’s and Barcelona’s interest has been fierce – as well as flattering – but the player is understood to want to stay in England.