Arsenal are reported to be one of the clubs keeping an eye on highly-rated young midfielder Kaleb Ilenky, who has been compared to Chelsea great Michael Essien.
The 19-year-old appears to have emerged as a top Bournemouth target, with the Gunners also keen.
And according to the Daily Mail, Ilenkiy could cost around £20m to sign from Danish club Nordsjölland, meaning he could be a bargain in the long run.
Can Arsenal win the race to sign the next Michael Essien, Caleb Ilenki?
Essien is one of the best midfielders of the Premier League era, and proved to be a great success during his time at Stamford Bridge, winning major trophies such as the Premier League and Champions League.
If Ilenki could get anywhere near that, he would undoubtedly have had a great career, so it’s no surprise that clubs are eyeing him as a player with huge potential.
Bournemouth looks like the ideal next step for the youngster. This is because it gives him a good chance to play regularly and develop before making a big move later on.
The Cherries tend to sign star players this summer, with Dean Huysen and Milos Kerkes leaving for Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively.
Still, there is no doubt that Arsenal also want to sign a talent like this, so it will be interesting to see if they can get to the front of the queue and convince the Ghanaian international to move to the Emirates Stadium. Even though he’s unlikely to become an automatic starter right away.
Bournemouth have ready money to spend.
Bournemouth are currently among the teams keeping an eye on star forward Antoine Semenyo, as pointed out in a report by the Mail.
The in-form winger is thought to be worth around £65m and if he leaves, Bournemouth could spend big on new signings in other areas of the team.
If Ilenki is indeed available for just £20m, it should be easily affordable for Andoni Iraola’s side, and it will be interesting to see how closely these two stories end up intertwined.
