Spanish giants and current European champions Barcelona are desperately trying to fend off interest from across Europe in the latest prospect to come through their highly regarded La Masia academy, forward Gerard Deulofeu, according to talkSPORT.
The player has been likened to Lionel Messi by the academy's coaches, leading to interest from several clubs, but Arsenal and Chelsea are said to be at the front of the queue.
Deulofeu is in fact so highly rated by those at Barca that he has been pencilled in to make his debut for the club this season, despite only being 17 years old.
However it is this young age which could be a problem for Barcelona, as he is not allowed to sign a professional deal until he is 18 years old.
Arsenal of course already knows how to poach young players from the Barca set-up, having taken advantage of these contractual issues when they signed Cesc Fabregas in 2003, when he was 16.
The young player, who was apparently watched by Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley at the Under-19 Championship this summer, could be snapped up for as little as £3m due to a buyout clause in his current deal with Barcelona.
The Catalan giants are keen to keep the player, however, and are said to already be working on terms for his professional contract.
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