Newcastle United lead Arsenal and Liverpool in the race for MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli

Newcastle United are leading the race for MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli, who is also a target for Liverpool and Arsenal.

The 18-year-old midfielder has been linked with a move away from the League One club in recent months, with Liverpool said to be closest to signing Alli, who has been dubbed the 'English Messi'.

Apart from the Reds, Arsenal and Manchester United are also said to have received numerous scouting reports regarding the player's performances for the Dons.

The England U19 midfielder has been impressive for his club this season, and has already scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 24 league games so far.

And now the League One club's manager Karl Robinson has admitted that the rumours are more than just "paper talk", but confirmed that they have not received any offers from interested clubs yet.

It is believed that it was the Reds closest to signing the midfielder during the ongoing January transfer window, but the manager has hinted that it's the Magpies, who are leading the way in the race to secure the highly-rated midfielder's signature.

"I think it's a bit more than paper talk but there's nothing that we've heard yet," Robinson said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"There's been a lot of talk over Dele and Newcastle United and certain clubs. He will go down as one of the greatest players we've had," the Dons boss explained.

The former Liverpool youth team manager has praised Alli for his strong character and his ability to focus on his game despite all the transfer speculation.

"I think Dele conducts himself wonderfully well and if his mentality was weak it [the speculation] would worry me, but he's a very strong character," Robinson concluded.