Exeter City boss Matt Taylor has confirmed that the English club have received offers from teams “north of the border” for centre-back Alfie Pond.

Reports suggest that the bids in question came from Celtic and Rangers, and Taylor believes the 18-year-old has been affected by the speculation surrounding his future:

“We have wanted to play him more [in pre-season] but he has not been in the right headspace. We have turned down a couple of really low offers from clubs north of the border in relation to his contract and that is not resolving itself anytime soon.”

Pond has already made his senior debut for Exeter but, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, it seems as though he is angling for a move away from the West Country.

Taylor has also claimed that the defender has rejected an opportunity to go out on loan, and he has bemoaned the advice that the player is receiving from his representatives.

Unless Celtic raise their offer for Pond, though, it seems he will spend this season sitting on the bench before leaving for a nominal fee when his current deal expires in June next year.