Arsenal have made a significant breakthrough in their pursuit of Jeremy Monga.
The Premier League champions have agreed full personal terms with the 16-year-old Leicester City winger, according to reliable club insider Hand of Arsenal.
Work still remains to be done on the ‘mechanism of his exit’, but Monga has given his full preference to Arsenal over multiple clubs, including Manchester City and Bayer Leverkusen.
Sporting director Andrea Berta met with Monga’s entourage personally and laid out a pathway similar to that offered to Max Dowman.
How closely do you think Max Dowman will follow in Lamine Yamal’s footsteps?
The source also states that a loan move for Monga once he is settled at the club cannot be ruled out, given that he has already shown to be first-team ready.
The fee is expected to be in excess of £10million, with the possibility of a tribunal determining the final figure given his age.
Leicester, relegated to League One, received as many as eight formal enquiries from clubs across England and Europe, but Monga’s preference has always been Arsenal.
Should the deal be completed, Arsenal would remarkably have all of the three youngest players ever to appear in the Premier League: Monga, Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri.
That is a staggering collection of young talent under one roof.
How Jeremy Monga affects Arsenal’s summer transfer plans
Monga’s arrival will not be the end of Arsenal’s winger business this summer.
Mikel Arteta’s number one priority this window is to add top-end quality to the attack, particularly the left side of the front line.
Despite Monga’s age, the teenager has already demonstrated he has immediate first-team potential, which raises further questions about the futures of both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
It is perhaps too early to say Monga will provide genuine depth, but Dowman and Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha have shown that it’s not out of the realms of possibility.
Arsenal are still pursuing a more senior option in that position, with Morgan Rogers remaining the primary target.
With both Martinelli and Trossard entering the final 12 months of their contracts, the case for keeping either becomes harder to make if Arsenal are to reach that next level.
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