Watford have offered enhanced professional contracts to Academy players Adrian Blake and Harry Amass and are now waiting to see if the pair decide to sign them.

There have been reports that Premier League clubs are keen on signing Blake, while Watford have received an offer from a top-flight side for England Under-16 international Amass.

The Hornets made the offer of a two-year contract, with an option for a third year, to 17-year-old Blake some time ago.

They received no response to that contract offer so it stayed on the table, and was then sent to the player’s new agent when the club were informed he had changed representation.

The new agent did respond to the contract offer, but only to officially say no thank you.

Watford work on a template for professional contracts offered to Academy players, with agreed salary figures for year one which then increase in year two and would increase again in the third year should club take up the option.

However, they also have the right to stray from those templated figures if they feel the potential of the player warrants it.

In the case of Blake, The Watford Observer understands the numbers were enhanced above the standard contract figures, and the club are now waiting for an answer.

It’s also our understanding that no club has made an official approach for Blake.

With Watford having a Category 2 Academy, they are always prone to the bigger Category 1 Academy clubs attempting to take their players.

However, there are rules within the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan that mandate the minimum amount of compensation clubs should receive if a player leaves, and the sums are based upon various different elements such as time spent with the club, level reached, any international honours etc.

As Blake has been with the club since he was nine, and has played Under-21 and first-team football, Watford would be entitled to a significant amount of compensation if he were to leave.

In the case of 16-year-old Amass, two prominent Premier League sides have shown interest, but Watford have not received a formal offer from either.

Like Blake, Amass has been at Watford since he was nine and signed an early scholarship which ties him to the club until he is 18. That would mean should he leave, under the EPPP rules, the Hornets would be entitled to compensation.

The club view Amass as a player with huge potential, having played for the Under-18s and Under-21s, as well as being an unused substitute for the first team in the FA Cup at Reading in January. He is also an England international and the Hornets see him as a future first-team player.

He has also been offered a two-year professional contract which he cannot sign until he reaches the age of 17.

By offering Blake and Amass early professional contract offers, the club have shown their intention to both and clearly want them to stay and continue their development.

Watford have, in the last 18 months, seen seven Academy players leave that have earned the club a significant amount in compensation payments which will increase over time.

If those players go on to hit landmarks such as professional contracts, Under-21 debuts, first-team debuts, international debuts etc, then that compensation figure could increase tenfold.

The club has always made it clear they want to keep their best young talent but, when it becomes apparent a player definitely wants to leave, they will then attempt to maximise the compensation they receive.

Striker Shaq Forde will return to Watford when his loan at York City comes to an end soon. The 18-year-old has scored eight goals in 19 National League appearances so far, and The Watford Observer understands that having signed a two-year professional contract (with an option of a third year) last summer, the Hornets felt a move away into a new environment that offered him the experience of senior football was the best way forward.

Upon his return he may well link up with the senior squad in pre-season with a view to impressing whoever the head coach is.

One Academy player already doing that is Ryan Andrews. He signed the same contract as Forde last summer, and clearly caught the eye of Chris Wilder, who watched him in action in two Under-21 games at Vicarage Road recently.

That has led to the 18-year-old right-back playing in Watford’s last four Championship games, where he has been extremely impressive.