Everton's Gethin Jones set to join Wales squad amid interest from Australia

Wales have a squad get-together in Portugal next week ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Serbia on June 11, and Jones has been pencilled in for the Algarve trip with the Socceroos keen to bring the 21-year-old defender on board.

Coleman names his squad for the Belgrade qualifier on Thursday and Wales are increasingly confident that Jones - who earlier this week agreed a new 12-month contract extension at Goodison Park - will commit to them.

Welsh-speaker Jones, who left Australia as a young child and has been on Everton's books since the age of 12, has captained Wales sides at various levels.

He said in an interview earlier this year that he felt "more Welsh than Australian", but did not close the door on playing for the land of his birth.

"Australia contacted Everton two or three months back asking for me to play for their Under-23s, but I didn't want to make any decisions then," Jones told the Football League Paper in February.

"I feel more Welsh than Australian. I've been Wales captain from the Under-16s to the Under-21s so if the first team called I'd definitely go for that.

"But it depends now. If Australia came in before Wales you never know, it's something I'd have to seriously think about."

Jones has made one senior appearance for Everton, against Russian side Krasnodar in the Europa League in December 2014, and enjoyed successful loan spells at Plymouth and Barnsley.

He made 17 Championship appearances for Barnsley in the second half of last season before returning to Everton and helping David Unsworth's U23 side clinch the Premier League 2 title.

Australia have still kept the door open to Jones after he turned down an invitation to join a development squad camp in Spain in March.

"He is a very good player, and is playing in a position which we need to cover well," Australia U23 coach Josep Gombau told www.beinsports.com last month.

"If he were to change his mind he'd have a good chance of progressing.

"Maybe one day he will become a Socceroo, but right now he's not thinking in this way."

Liverpool pair Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson are set to be named in Coleman's senior party after being omitted from the Wales U20 squad at the Toulon Tournament, which starts next week.

Woodburn, 17, and Wilson, 20, were both called up for Wales' last World Cup qualifier in March, a 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

Exeter starlet Ethan Ampadu, who was ineligible to play in Toulon as UEFA rules prevent 16-year-olds from featuring, is also set to link up with the senior squad in the Algarve.

But Gareth Bale and Neil Taylor will be missing because of World Cup suspensions.

Real Madrid star Bale serves a one-game ban in Belgrade, while Taylor starts a two-match suspension for the red-card challenge which left Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman with a double leg fracture.

Wales are in third place at the halfway stage of their World Cup qualifying group, four points behind top two Serbia and the Republic of Ireland.