Watford have ended their interest in Stevenage centre-back Ben Wilmot after having a January bid turned down for the 18-year-old.

The Hornets offered £500,000 to the League Two outfit during the winter window, but Boro value one of their key assets at more than £1 million.

While Wilmot has great potential, such an investment would represent somewhat of a gamble on a player who is still in the infancy of his career.

He is still in his maiden season in senior football and has played just 15 games for Stevenage, who sit 16th in the League Two table, this season.

Reports yesterday suggested Watford had won the race to sign Wilmot ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United now appear to be wide of the mark.

Wilmot’s future remains uncertain, however, and he is expected to be omitted from the Boro squad this weekend after being left out of their previous match against Newport.