JAMES FORD says York City Knights will offer captain marvel Ed Smith a new contract for next year - as speculation grows he is heading to Super League.

Both Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity are thought to have already approached the 24-year-old two-time Press Player of the Year with a view to snaffling him for 2018.

It comes as top-tier clubs continue recent policies of scouring the lower leagues for talent - with York having got firmly on the radar due to Greg Minikin's stunning try-scoring form at table-toppers Castleford over the past 12 months and hooker Kriss Brining's impact at high-riding Salford this year. Both players, like Smith, came through the junior ranks in the Minster city.

Knights head coach Ford, instrumental in all three players' progress, said he "wasn't sure" if second-row star Smith - whose current deal runs out at the end of this season - had yet received Super League offers, but he confirmed the Knights would be making him one "at the relevant time".

"I've not spoken to Ed directly about it," Ford said of the Salford and Wakefield rumours. "It's not come up in conversation.

"If he is getting interest from other clubs, then brilliant. He's worked really hard at his game and I'm pleased he's getting recognised for his efforts.

"Obviously we will want to keep him and we will sit down with him at the relevant time and go from there."

Scholarship graduate Smith - the Knights' then youngest-ever player when he made his debut in 2010 aged 17 years and seven months - has played more times for the club than any other player in the current squad, with 134 appearances so far for his hometown outfit, notching 40 tries along the way.

He was given the captaincy ahead of this season.

Ford added: "He's improved out of sight in the last couple of years and that's a real pat on the back for the coaching staff here and the facilities that we have, that we continue to improve players like we do.

"It does mean that our players will attract attention from other clubs - that's life - and, if he does move on, he will move on with all our best wishes and our blessing and we will look to find the next Ed Smith.

"But the club will make Ed an offer at some point and we will go from there."

The Knights have agreed 2018 terms for five of the current squad - Ronan Dixon, Adam Robinson, Brad Hey and local favourites Ash Robson and Joe Porter - and chairman Jon Flatman said this week that they were in talks to tie down more for next season.

Asked if Smith was so far one of them, Ford said: "I'm not really willing to comment on who else we have and haven't spoken to."

Smith, a product of York Acorn ARLC juniors and a former England Colleges captain, was tipped for a Super League future as long as ago as 2011 by the then Knights boss Dave Woods, who described the 18-year-old prodigy as a “dream kid” to work with.

If he does accept a Super League deal, he will become the 10th player to move through the Knights to the top tier in the past 13 years, after Danny Brough, Ian Kirke, Peter Fox, Matt Blaymire, Jason Golden, Ryan Esders, Tom Lineham, Minikin and Brining.