Arsenal and Tottenham are said to be going head-to-head in a battle to sign a player compared to Martin Odegaard.
Mikel Arteta's side are in the midst of a potential rebuild this summer, with Aaron Ramsdale, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe just some of the names being touted with potential exits, while Tottenham's squad reshaping is already underway.
With Harry Kane now gone, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner have been recruited in the past 12 months, with the onus on now building a squad that can compete at the very top level once again.
According to reports via The Sun, Arsenal see Ander Barrenetxea of Real Sociedad as perfect competition for winger Gabriel Martinelli, having already signed one former Txuri-Urdin star in the form of club captain Martin Odeegard.
22-year-old midfielder Barrenetxea has impressed in La Liga this season and is rumoured to be attracting the attention of both north London clubs, with Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou also already eyeing up further options to bolster his attacking line in the summer.
Basque native Arteta, meanwhile, spent a year with La Real during his playing career from 2004 to 2005 and is said to be calling on his contacts at the club to help facilitate a potential move.
Able to operate from both the left and the right, Barrenetxea's technical ability makes him a key threat in forward areas, having scored three goals and registered one assist already this season.
The Spain Under-21 international has played 22 times for La Real this season and featured heavily in their unbeaten UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign. He made his Sociedad debut aged just 16 in 2018 to become the first player born in the 21st century to play in La Liga.
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