Arsenal are at risk of losing their record-breaking midfield prodigy Ethan Nwaneri, who is being courted by both Chelsea and Manchester City.
Nwaneri, 15, became the youngest player in Premier League history when he was handed his senior debut in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Brentford back in September but has yet to agree terms on a scholarship with the Gunners.
The attacking midfielder, who turns 16 later this month, is held in high esteem by Mikel Arteta and academy boss Per Mertesacker. That hasn't deterred some of the Premier League's big-hitters from keeping tabs on the youngster's situation, though - and Nwaneri could yet be lured away from north London by one of his high-profile suitors.
A fresh report from The Telegraph has claimed that Chelsea and Manchester City are paying 'close attention' to the talented teenager's development and could firm up their interest when Nwaneri is old enough to agree to scholarship terms. He is unable to sign a professional contract with any club until he reaches 17 years of age.
Since making his debut as a substitute at Brentford, Nwaneri has not featured in another senior squad but has been a regular for the club's youth sides.
And while he is attracting significant interest from elsewhere, Arsenal have not yet given up hope of convincing him that his long-term future lies at the Emirates.
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Arsenal have a rich history of providing a pathway into the first-team for their bright young stars: Bukayo Saka, a driving force behind the Gunners current title bid, is a prime example of the club's ongoing commitment to giving youth a platform to thrive.
After becoming the first player under the age of 16 to ever feature in a Premier League game earlier in the campaign, Nwaneri was singled out for praise by Arteta. The Spaniard said: “I met the boy and really liked what I saw. [Academy manager] Per Mertesacker and the academy staff gave me really good information about him as well.
“It’s another step, another experience. In your career all the steps are not going to be forward. After that, maybe he needs three backwards to go another one forward, but as well I think it sends a really strong message about who we are as a club.”
If Arsenal were to lose Nwaneri - who is an England youth international - to a top-flight rival, then it would represent a major blow for the Gunners' famed Hale End academy after highly-rated forward Omari Hutchinson quit the club to join Chelsea last year.
The 19-year-old has gone on to make two senior appearances for Graham Potter's side since leaving his boyhood club and won his first international cap for Jamaica at the weekend.
