Chelsea and Manchester City are reportedly ready to try and pinch 15-year-old starlet Ethan Nwaneri from Arsenal this summer.
The attacking midfielder made history in September by becoming the youngest Premier League player ever when he made a substitute appearance against Brentford aged 15 years and 181 days.
There's a lot of excitement about what the future holds for the youngster, but where his senior career will be launched remains to be seen.
According to a report in The Telegraph, Arsenal risk losing Nwaneri to one of their ‘Big Six’ Premier League rivals.
Chelsea and City are interested in the youngster and the Gunners are now focusing on trying to convince him to stay at the Emirates.
Nwaneri turns 16 next week, at which point he will be able to agree a scholarship deal, but he can’t sign a professional contract until his 17th birthday in March 2024.
The left-footed attacking midfielder is regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the country, with three goals in nine England Under-17 caps to his name.
His cameo appearance against Brentford came as something of a surprise, being his only opportunity with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad this season.
He came on in the 92nd minute of a 3-0 away win over the Bees, replacing Fabio Vieira to achieve the historic landmark.
Nwaneri has also made six appearances for Arsenal’s U21s this season, providing one assist, and he has scored four goals and created another three for the U18s in 11 games.
More Arsenal stories
The rumour mill is going into overdrive with Arsenal leading the way in the race to sign Declan Rice. One source claims a contract has been agreed with the midfielder, though Manchester City are interested, too. West Ham apparently have a successor lined up.
In other rumours, Raheem Sterling is being targeted, with a centre-forward on the wishlist, according to reports. A bid for Raphinha has been revealed while Rasmus Holjund of Atalanta is on the radar, too. January target Ivan Fresneda is still wanted by the Gunners, as well.
Meanwhile, Chelsea star Mykhaylo Mudryk – who turned down Arsenal in the winter window – has addressed his supposed unhappiness at Stamford Bridge.
