The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror have revealed that two Premiership clubs are interested in Bulgarian defender Ivelin Popov. Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland are both eager to employ the services of the talented Bulgarian, according to the newspapers.

Both premiership teams had dispatched scouts to observe the performance of the 20 year old bulgarian in Lovech, during the EUFA Cup tie between Litex Lovech and Aston Villa on September 18. They were apparently impressed with the young talent and both teams will be sending scouts to Villa Park for the second leg on October 2 and reaffirm their opinion of his prowess.

Popov is one the most promising young talents of Bulgarian football today, and it has not escaped the English media that he has bagged five caps for the Bulgarian first national team. Furthermore, it was revealed that other Premiership clubs are also following the progress of the Bulgarian player.

According to the Bulgarian National Radio, newly-rich "big boys" Manchester City, armed with a limitless financial resource and having claimed recently that they aim to become "the world's greatest football team" are desperately trying to boost their squad with talents attracted both from England and overseas, and apparently, City will also be sending a scout to Villa Park.

Popov was rumoured to be a target of observation for Man City last year about, and it is expected that this time, they maight place a bid for the youngster, who turns 21 next month.

Twenty years ago it used to be Spain, Germany, Portugal or Italy - the destination for Bulgarian players who went to seek fame and fortune overseas. Hristo Stoichkov captured the hearts of Barcelona, Nikolay Iliev played at Parma, Balakov became a legend at Werder Bremen and Ilian Iliev was a top hitman for Sporting Lisbon.

Borislav Mihailov, Bulgaria's most capped player and head of the country's football association, signed for Reading, but his career in England never took off.

The Albion was considered at the time to be too great of a challenge for Bulgarian players. Harsh climate, the world's toughest and most physical football, often bordering on rugby, a hectic programme, matches being played as often as three times a week. The homeland of football, England was a distant rainy island that was considered to be inhospitable, unattainable and totally irrelevant for the Bulgarian football school.

Until Radostin Kishishev became a legend at Charlton and the Valley faithful's anthem "Ra-ra-radostin, lover of the Russian Queen" echoed around football terraces across the Island.

In recent years, Bulgarian players have increasingly turning their sights on the world's richest league and several players have made moves to the Albion. Stilian Petrov's antics at Celtic made him an icon at the club, before he opted to move south and sign for Aston Villa. Martin Petrov, no relation to Stilian, and compatriot Valeri Bojinov defend the pride of the Citizens at Man City.

The man who started it all, in some respects, Kishishev, is still playing at the age of 34 and is on the books of Leicester City in the English League One, where he was recently joined by Alex Tounchev.

Dimitar Berbatov, of course, who arrived at White Hart Lane to become an instant favourite, only to be involved in the transfer saga of the season with his long anticipated switch to United, is the most visible of them all.

And now there is one more young Bulgarian talent, who might be on his way out of Litex Lovech and en route to England.