Arsenal hot on trail of two Croatian wonderkids after scouting teenage pair – but face Premier League competition
ARSENAL are pursuing two Croatian wonderkids but face competition from two Premier League.
Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund are also showing interest in the teenage duo, who play for a little-known Croatian club.
Mikel Arteta is eyeing two Croatian wonderkidsReuters
Kustosija are the club that launched the careers of Barcelona B and Senegal international Mikayil Faye and RB Leipzig youth striker Dino Klapija, who are both interesting the Gunners.
This weekend scouts from Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Dortmund, Valencia and Lille will watch Kustosija’s Under-19 side play their Hajduk Split counterparts in the final round of Croatian Junior League fixtures.
According to index.hr, two Kustosija players that will draw the most attention are forward Lovra Chelfi, 17 and midfielder Niko Tomašević, 16.
Chelfi can operate behind the main striker or on the wing and this season he has scored six goals in a total of 31 games for the club’s various youth categories.
Tomašević plays the number eight role and after a handful of junior appearances began to get games for Kustosija’s senior side in the Croatian third tier.
Both players have reportedly been on the radar of Arsenal for some time with the Gunners also keen to sign Klapija before he chose to go to Germany instead last summer.
Kustosija officials believe the duo are worth £1.7million each and will expect to earn a percentage from future sales, having inserted similar stipulations into the deals that took Faye to Barcelona and Klapija to Leipzig.
Mikel Arteta sent scouts to Croatia to watch Klapija play last year, before his January switch to Leipzig.
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Mikel Arteta's striker shopping list
By Jordan Davies
ARSENAL are stepping up plans to sign a world-class striker in the summer after their Champions League heartbreak.
Mikel Arteta splashed out £204.5m last summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
But the Spanish manager accepts he needs a proven goalscorer to take the club to the next level.
And here are the players he is looking at to get the Gunners firing:
BENJAMIN SESKO (RB Leipzig, value £40m-£45m)
One for the future at 20 years old. Scored 16 goals for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and the Slovenian has carried on that good form in Germany with Leipzig this campaign.
VIKTOR GYOKERES (Sporting Lisbon, value £60m-£80m)
Been scouted several times this season. The Swedish striker, 25, is more of a traditional No 9 so may not suit Arsenal’s demand for flexibility but would bring a physicality that boss Mikel Arteta craves.
ALEXANDER ISAK (Newcastle, value £75m-£85m)
Impressed in his first two seasons in English football. The Swede, 24, has the pace and finesse to match his finishing ability, and Eddie Howe’s Toon may need to sell to balance the books this summer.
JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (Bologna, value £45m-£50m)
Dutch wonder is attracting the attentions of clubs across Europe. At 6ft 4in the 22-year-old forward would have no trouble adapting to the Premier League and already has an eye for goal.
XAVI SIMONS (RB Leipzig, value £70m-£80m)
An incredible talent in the Bukayo Saka mould, currently on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The future of the Dutch attacker, 20, depends on how much money his parent club want to make from him.
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Manchester United were also interested in the 17-year-old but may have been put off by his asking price.
United also had a look at Faye and scouted the youngster for three months.
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