Winner named in Tottenham and Arsenal hunt for PL attacker after £30,000-a-wk offer- report

Wed 26 July 2017 14:16, UK

By Russell Edge

Arsenal appear to have won the race for Manchester City youngster Jaden Sancho despite interest from rivals Tottenham, according to a report.

The Sun claim on their website that City have offered the 17-year-old winger a new contract of £30,000-a-week, with his current scholarship deal set to expire next summer, but he is said to be stalling amid interest from the Gunners.

The newspaper quote a source as saying: “The club is worried Arsenal are frontrunners for Jadon as he has a soft spot for them.”

Tottenham have also reportedly shown interest, and are said to have seen a bid to capture the youngster as part of the deal for Kyle Walker rejected, but now appear to have fallen behind their fierce rivals in the hunt for his signing.

Sancho is also believed to view Arsenal as the destination where he will break into the first team sooner, with Arsene Wenger seen as an ideal tutor for his development.

While he is yet to have earned a taste of senior action at the Etihad Stadium, he has international experience under his belt, with 17 appearances for England Under-17s, and was named player of the tournament during the Under-17 European Championships this summer.

Football Insider verdict

Arsenal’s reputation of utilising youth in the first team appears to have secured them one of their Premier League rivals’ top talents. Sancho seems like he has bags of talent and just needs to find the right club to nurture and develop him to reach his potential. He is probably right in wanting to leave City, with a whole host of experienced talent ahead of him in the pecking order. Arsene Wenger however does not have such a vast selection at his disposal, and will have no hesitations bringing the youngster into the first team reckoning if he believes he is good enough. Plus, the more senior action he gets, the more likely he is to progress through the ranks at international level, which will be a bonus for both club and country.