Arsenal are confident of signing the teenager after their initial bid for Leicester youngster Jeremy Monga was rejected.
Before his 17th birthday, Monga had already made 37 appearances for the Foxes and caught the attention of the football world, becoming the Championship’s youngest ever goalscorer in August last year.
However, Leicester’s relegation to League One has forced the Midlands club to sell key assets, and although Arsenal’s bid for Monga was rejected this week, it is expected that an agreement will be reached for the 16-year-old to move to north London.
Monga made his Foxes debut as a 15-year-old in the Premier League defeat to Newcastle last April, before going on to make 30 appearances for Leicester during a difficult 2025-26 campaign.
Monga, a member of England Under-19s, remains on scholarship at the King Power Stadium club and is expected to finalize his move to Arsenal by the time he turns 17 on July 10.
Another young English talent on Arsenal’s shortlist this summer is centre-back Elijah Upson, who will leave Tottenham this month after turning down a professional contract.
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Upson, a centre-back who is the son of former England international Matthew Upson, played six times for Spurs in the UEFA Youth League and captained the Under-18s on multiple occasions, but will move on when his contract expires on June 30.
Upson could follow in his father’s footsteps by signing for Arsenal.
Arteta persuades Arsenal to sign Brentford star
The Gunners will also be looking to improve their first team more quickly after falling just short of a historic Premier League and Champions League double.
Manager Mikel Arteta has finally convinced the Gunners to make a move for Brentford star Igor Thiago, according to reports in Brazil via Sport Witness.
According to reports, the Spaniard has been tracking Thiago for years and sporting director Andrea Berta has agreed to sign the proven Premier League striker this summer.
Thiago joined Brentford in the summer of 2024, but injury limited him to just one league start in his first year, but he exploded into action last season.
The Brazilian international, who is only 24 years old, played in all 38 games for the Bees, scoring 22 goals.
After scoring a hat-trick against Everton, manager Keith Andrews said: “Not bad, right? I thought the finish today was great, really clinical, outstanding, calm and confident.”
“I’m a little upset that he hasn’t scored in recent weeks, but we played against Bournemouth two games ago and he was the cornerstone of our win.
“The names you just mentioned (Haaland, Mbappe, Kane) – he’s a pretty well-respected mate there, but he’s earned it.”
Arsenal hope to sign ‘special’ Tottenham talent who has decided to leave the club
Mikel Arteta’s side could take advantage of that.
Thiago may not yet be in Erling Haaland’s league, but he finished just five goals behind the Norwegian in the Golden Boot race, and his strength and physicality will definitely add a different element to Arteta’s attacking line-up.
