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Sun 29 January 2017 10:40, UK

By Will Butcher

Arsenal have stepped up their pursuit of Chilean wonderkid Marcelo Allende, giving him a third trial at the Emirates, according to a report.

The Daily Mail revealed in their transfer news blog (January 28, 8.08pm) that the Chilean has joined for a third time as Arsene Wenger looks to cast his eye over the 17-year-old midfielder again.

Midfielder Allende, who plays for Chilean side Deportes Santa Cruz, has already had two trials with the Gunners, after impressing in the Under-17s World Cup in 2015.

Scoring twice for his country during the tournament, he captained Chile to reach the round of 16 before losing to Mexico 4-1.

Playing in the third tier of Chilean football with Santa Cruz, Allende will be looking to impress during his third stay in north London in order to earn a permanent contract.

Manager Wenger is keen to make the right decision concerning Allende, as he continues with a transfer strategy of bringing in youngsters to build for the future.

This season, the Frenchman has signed 21-year-old defender Rob Holding, while Japanese hotshot Takuma Asano put pen to paper aged just 22 years of age.

Football Insider verdict:

Allende’s stock is continuing to rise and it is undoubted that the midfielder has massive potential. This is his third trial at the club though and while he’s obviously impressing the Emirates hierarchy, he might view this as his last chance to impress Wenger. It’s not going to be easy to earn a contract at such a massive club, but Allende will be hoping it’s third time lucky in north London. Wenger has always got one eye on the future and if he’s convinced that the kid has what it takes to survive in the bruising Premier League, he might be convinced to take a chance on him. 

In other Arsenal transfer news, Wenger has delivered this update on a deal for this defender.

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