Arsenal And Tottenham ‘Made Strong Attempts’ In Race For Teen Talent | OneFootball

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur ‘made strong attempts’ to convince winger Aurelien Guernier to join, but lost out to AC Milan.

Guernier has now left Birmingham City, who were keen to keep him, to complete a move to Italy with Serie A giants AC Milan.

The Rossoneri moved quickly in a bid to sign him up, putting the teenager through a medical on Thursday and then getting him to sign a three-year contract at the San Siro.

AC Milan were likely aware that the Birmingham winger was a wanted man, with a host of sides looking at signing him, including Sporting Lisbon.

There was also interest from Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Tottenham who ‘made strong attempts’ to push themselves into the race for Guernier, according to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti.

Both north London clubs recognised the potential of the 18-year-old and wanted to slot him into their youth ranks, but failed.

Arsenal and Tottenham are likely to keep a close eye on how Guernier now does during his time at AC Milan, where he will play for the Rossoneri’s youth side initially.

If he progresses then a potential further swoop from either Premier League side is surely possible in the coming years.

For Birmingham, losing Guernier is a blow and they did make efforts to convince him to stay at St Andrew’s to continue his development.

The winger played for Blues in the Premier League 2 in the recent campaign, finishing with three goals in 15 matches.

Guernier has signed a contract with AC Milan that runs until the summer of 2029, with an option to extend it for a further year.

He will now hope he made the right choice by picking the Rossoneri and can push to get into the senior side at the San Siro.

There is an English flavour at AC Milan, with both Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on the books.