Mikel Arteta eyeing Arsenal raid for Real Madrid starlet but faces stiff competition

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Arsenal have reportedly set their sights on Real Madrid youngster Cesar Gelabert, although Lyon and Borussia Dortmund are also said to be interested.

The 19-year-old has come up through the youth ranks at the Bernabeu since 2015 and was promoted up to the Castilla side last summer.

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He has made 13 appearances so far this season, and it appears as though he has impressed as a number of top European clubs have seemingly been alerted by his form.

According to AS, Arsenal are keen on the talented youngster as Mikel Arteta is said to have seen him in action prior to arriving in north London, and now he is interested in trying to prise him to the Emirates moving forward.

However, both Dortmund and Lyon are also said to be interested, and so while that arguably tells a story in itself in terms of the potential of Gelabert to have attracted such top level clubs around Europe, it also raises concern over whether or not Arsenal will be able to fend off the competition.

To complicate matters as far as Real Madrid are concerned, the teenage starlet’s current contract expires in 2021, as noted by AS, and so they’ll surely hope to agree on fresh terms sooner rather than later to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing next year.

Gelabert is most comfortable playing as an attacking midfielder and so with the lack of creativity and technical quality on the ball in that department to complement the pace, movement and finishing of the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, it could be an important long-term solution for Arsenal if they can land his signature.

However, Dortmund have shown that they can be an ideal spot for young players to give them a chance of regular football and to develop their talent, as seen with Jadon Sancho more recently, and so it could be tough for Arsenal to get to the front of the queue.

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