Arsenal reportedly hold ‘genuine interest’ in signing a Serbian wonderkid that has been nicknamed ‘Balkan Barella’ and ‘Serbian Pedri’.
Arsenal are in talks with the representatives of a 17-year-old Pedri-esque Serbian who is attracting top Italian and German sides, all in competition for his signature.
Mikel Arteta’s men face a brutally tough run of fixtures to end the season, heading from last night’s 1-1 Champions League semi-final draw against Atletico Madrid to yet another match in the closely fought Premier League title race this Saturday against Fulham.
Arsenal are in talks to sign the ‘Serbian Pedri’
According to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have made contact with the representatives of Red Star Belgrade midfielder Vasilije Kostov.
The 17-year-old – who has already played at senior level for Serbia – will face a decision between signing for Arsenal or the mix of Italian and German sides also gunning for his signature.
Romano, who described the youngster as having ‘very interesting potential’, stated that Arsenal have been following Kostov closely, which was reported initially in Serbia.
The transfer news expert said: ‘Arsenal want to invest also in talents, not only in established players, so Kostov is one of the talents [they] are monitoring.
‘They’ve been scouting and following this player - it’s an interesting one to follow ahead of this summer. It’s still early to say if Arsenal will close this deal, but [they] have genuine interest in the player,’ he continued.
According to a report relayed by TEAMtalk, Red Star Belgrade will demand around €20 million before approving Kostov’s sale, a figure which had previously been offered for the youngster.
When that offer was received, Red Star were not considering a sale, however, it appears things have changed for the Serbian side, who are now open to Kostov moving.
The club’s director of football Zvezdan Terzic previously told the Daily Mirror that the 17-year-old isn’t just capable of playing in the Premier League, but doing so for a ‘Big Six’ side.
The midfielder has scored 14 goals and registered seven assists in 39 appearances for Red Star this season, with his most recent strike coming in a 4-1 victory over Vojvodina.
Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend against Fulham, before welcoming Atletico Madrid to the Emirates in the Champions League next Tuesday evening.
