Arsenal reportedly look to have moved ahead of Premier League rivals Manchester City in the running to seal the transfer of a highly-rated Barcelona youngster.
The Gunners are the latest club to be linked with teenage talent Robert Navarro, with the Daily Mail claiming they’re stepping up their interest while City seem to cool theirs.
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Navarro, 15, will soon be eligible to sign a professional contract elsewhere and the Mail’s report suggests the attacking midfielder could follow in the footsteps of some other big names in choosing to move on from the club in order to progress in his career.
It’s reported that Barcelona have offered him a new deal and hope he can be persuaded to sign before his birthday in two days’ time, but it may be that he’ll become the latest talent to leave them for Arsenal at a young age.
Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin made the same moves with great success in their teens, while Gerard Pique was also poached by Manchester United at that stage in his career before returning to the Nou Camp not long after.
It remains to be seen quite how far Navarro can go in the game, but interest from Arsenal and City suggests he’s another potential big name to emerge from Barca’s famed La Masia system.
As well as the likes of Fabregas, Bellerin and Pique, world class stars such as Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets are among recent examples of youth team graduates who went on to shine for the senior side.