Linfield and Glentoran go head-to-head for Loughgall sensation

Loughgall forward Benji Magee's hot form has attracted the interest of Linfield and Glentoran

Crusaders attacking midfielder Ben Kennedy saw a proposed winter move to Larne break down

Glenavon winger Peter Campbell is a transfer target of Warren Feeney's at Glentoran

Loughgall striker Benji Magee is the focus of a tug of war between Belfast’s Big Two, Sunday Life Sport can reveal.

The 21-year-old forward has been a revelation for the Villagers in the 2023/24 season after winning promotion to the top-flight from the Championship in 2023.

Magee has scored 15 goals in the League to date for Loughgall – two behind leading goalscorer Ben Wilson – including one against Linfield on Saturday.

Glentoran have already been linked with a move for Magee in the January transfer window, but Sunday Life Sport has been told that Linfield are also in the hunt for the rangy striker.

With more goals than feared goalgetters Andy Ryan, Lee Bonis, Joe Gormley, Matthew Shevlin and Ronan Hale to name a few, it is easy to see why he is attracting so much attention.

And Linfield are not just in the market for east Belfast-born Magee because Robbie McDaid broke down on his return from a long-term injury.

Blues boss David Healy is a long-standing admirer of Magee and has been tracking him for 18 months.

Healy was a regular visitor to Lakeview Park in the 2022/23 season to watch Magee in the Championship and has been impressed by how he has made the step up in class seamlessly.

Windsor sources have told Sunday Life Sport that Healy is ‘interested’ in Magee and ideally would like to sign him in January, but his exit from Loughgall is not a certainty.

Manager Dean Smith pointed out that the player remains under contract to the mid-Ulster club, so a