Arsenal are facing a battle to keep hold of talented youngster Ethan Nwaneri.
The youngster - who became the Gunners' as well as the Premier League's youngest-ever player when he made his debut aged 15 and 181 days away at Brentford during the season just gone - is, according to the Evening Standard, attracting interest from both Chelsea and Manchester City.
Due to his age, it is worth noting that as Nwaneri is still only on schoolboy terms he can therefore be poached by other clubs before being eligible to sign a professional deal at the Emirates Stadium, which won't be until he turns 17 on March 21, 2024.
And whilst his schoolboy registration runs out on Friday (June 30), Arsenal Youth team expert Jeorge Bird has provided clarity by revealing the situation doesn't necessarily have to be resolved by July 1st and Nwaneri could still sign a scholarship deal after that date if he hasn't moved elsewhere.
After making history against Brentford as a second-half substitute, understandably the Gunners wanted to control the hype around the youngster. That may explain why he's not made another first-team matchday squad since, especially as Mikel Arteta was keen to urge caution.
"It's another step, another experience," the Spaniard said after the game. "In your career all the steps are not going to be forward. After that maybe he needs three backwards to go another forward, but I think he deserved it.
"It sends a really strong message about who we are as a club as well. We want to give opportunities when there is talent. When there is personality and when there are players who love what they do so much and when they have no fear. The doors are open to explore where they can go."
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Those comments, the fact that Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah have come through the Hale End academy to become regulars at Arsenal - wearing some iconic shirt numbers nonetheless - and travelling with the first-team squad to Dubai for a training camp should convince Nwaneri that staying put is best for his development.
Furthermore, the grass may not be greener elsewhere. Take Manchester City for example, there's somewhat of an uncertainty around the club at the moment following the announcement of being charged by the Premier League for alleged breaches of financial fair play rules earlier in the year.
Then there's Chelsea, who have spent over £600million on new signings alone since the Todd Boehly-led consortium takeover was officially completed in May 2022 and there could be more big-money moves completed before the summer transfer window closes and beyond.
In addition, Nwaneri can look at what's happened to Omari Hutchinson since swapping the Emirates Stadium for Stamford Bridge. Despite early signs suggesting the switch would be justified after making his senior debut last month, the signings of Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke have pushed him even further down the pecking order.
When factoring in that Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic, Armando Broja, David Datro Fofana and Christopher Nkunku - just to name a few - are all forward options for new Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino one does begin to wonder if Hutchinson would have been better off remaining patient with the Gunners.
This can be a lesson for Nwaneri as even though the Gunners will always be looking to snap up the best young talent from around the world, stability at Arsenal and a clearer pathway into the first-team squad should make any decision with regard to his immediate future easier.
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