Arsenal crush rivals in race to land Leicester wonderkid and next signing lined up | OneFootball

Arsenal have reportedly won the race to sign Leicester City wonderkid Jeremy Monga, with the Gunners beating out a host of elite rivals to snap up the talented attacker, and they are not done there.

The 16-year-old winger has emerged as one of the most sought-after young talents in English football, attracting interest from a multitude of clubs in Europe over recent months.

However, sources have confirmed to our friends over at TEAMtalk that Monga has now ‘agreed to join Arsenal‘, with the north London club ‘moving into talks with Leicester City to finalise a compensation package’.

While an agreement is not yet in place, it’s expected that Arsenal will pay Leicester between £10-15million for Monga, with the Gunners ‘now firmly in control of the situation’.

The report adds that Monga has made it clear that ‘Emirates Stadium is his preferred destination’, allowing Arsenal to ‘negotiate from a position of strength’ despite continued interest from elsewhere.

In terms of that interest, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are all noted to have made ‘late attempts to persuade the teenager to choose them instead’.

It’s claimed that those approaches continued into this month, but that Monga’s mind was ‘already made up’, and he is now poised to become the club’s second summer signing after the Gunners also agreed to pay the €52m (£45m, $59.5m) to turn the impressive Piero Hincapie’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen into a permanent switch.

England youth international Monga has informed interested parties that Arsenal is where he wants to continue his development, with the decision representing a major coup for the Gunners’ recruitment team, led by sporting director Andrea Berta.

Monga has already signed a professional contract with the Foxes that is due to come into effect on his 17th birthday on July 10, meaning compensation discussions between the two clubs are required before the move can be completed.

Arsenal also chasing Georgian Under-21 talent

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also understood to have another exciting prospect on their radar, as they continue to build for the future.

Indeed, the Gunners continue to invest heavily in elite young talent and have their eyes on emerging prospects from both the UK and overseas.

And the TEAMtalk reports adds that Arsenal also remain in talks over a deal for FC Kolkheti and Georgia Under-21 international Andria Bartishvili, with Berta ‘continuing to drive recruitment plans across multiple levels of the club’.

Those efforts now appear set to deliver major dividends, especially if Monga and Bartishvili are signed, sealed and delivered.

Finally, with Monga’s agreement already secured and Leicester engaged in discussions, Arsenal are hopeful of completing the deal before the end of the month.