Arsenal are reportedly tracking a teenage striker already dubbed the “next Zlatan Ibrahimovic.” The prospect in question is 16-year-old Partizan Belgrade centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic, according to France Football (h/t Alex Harris of the Daily Star).

Those reports claim the Gunners have been “eagerly watching” Vlahovic:

The 16-year-old stands at 6ft 2″ and has been compared to the Swedish superstar following his recent breakthrough into Partizan‘s first team.

He has made four appearances in their last five Serbian SuperLiga games but Arsenal face competition from Manchester City and Paris St-Germain.

PSG have been following Vlahovic particularly closely and have made enquiries as to his availability.

Vlahovic is under contract until 2018 – he became the youngest player ever to sign a pro contract at Partizan.

Assuming Arsenal could fend off interest from the French capital, Vlahovic would join the growing ranks of young and talented prospects waiting to break into the starting XI. Nigerian 19-year-old forward Alex Iwobi has already taken that step this season, but 18-year-old Frenchman Jeff Reine-Adelaide could soon join him.

Academy players such as 17-year-old Dutch striker Donyell Malen and 18-year-old English attacking midfielder Chris Willock are both talented enough to make a similar leap in the near future.

Adding Vlahovic to this group would reaffirm Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger‘s commitment to building his squads on a foundation of precocious youths. Yet Wenger‘s philosophy aside, signing a 16-year-old, relatively unproven striker would likely not please sections of the club’s support anxious to see a more established goal-getter next season.

The Gunners have had their struggles up front throughout this campaign, with Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck all dealing with loss of form or injury woes. As a result, Arsenal have found the net just 48 times in 30 Premier League games, per the division’s official site, an unusually low number for a Wenger-coached team.

But judging by the latest rumours, Wenger seems content to gamble on potential to solve the problem.

One area where the Emirates Stadium chief appears ready to opt for more experience is in midfield.

 

Marcelo Brozovic Could Move After Euro 2016

Longtime Arsenal target Marcelo Brozovic recently addressed the rumours linking him to north London and even suggested he could be on the move this summer.

The 23-year-old Inter Milan pass-master was speaking to Croatian source Jutarnji (h/t Metro‘s Max Miller):

I have heard about these rumours.

For now, I am an Inter player and I will behave as such.

Everything is possible. We’ll see. We’ll know more after the Euros. There’s nothing more to say at this time, it’s too soon.

Brozovic is on loan at Inter from Dinamo Zagreb. But he looks likely to seal a potentially permanent switch to Serie A this summer, according to Sky Sports Italia (h/t Football Italia.net, via James Gray of the Daily Express).

Back in late February, Italian source Tuttosport (h/t talkSPORT) had suggested Inter would sign Brozovic and then cash in on him by selling the player to Arsenal for a “fee of around £15 million.”

While that’s a convoluted deal, Brozovic does boast attributes Wenger‘s midfield needs. Not only is he more physical than the pantheon of playmakers the Gunners have relied on in recent seasons, Brozovic also has the technical quality Wenger adores.

ESPN FC‘s Nick Dorrington believes Brozovic is best as a versatile and steadying force in the middle: “Indeed, he performs best as the adaptable third wheel in a midfield three in which the others take charge of the dedicated defensive (Arijan Ademi at Dinamo) and creative (Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric for Croatia) tasks.”

That’s the role Jack Wilshere should play for the Gunners, but he has never stayed fit or disciplined enough to make the position his own. Brozovic would be a nice fit, provided he remains a priority for Wenger.

The Arsenal boss is currently strongly linked with a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka, per Sky Germany (h/t Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol):

German journalist Raphael Honigstein (h/t Metro‘s George Bellshaw) believes this deal could go ahead.

Like Brozovic, Xhaka is nominally a deep-lying playmaker, one more akin to Bayern Munich’s Xabi Alonso. It’s unlikely Wenger would target two midfielders of this type in the summer, especially with January signing Mohamed Elneny currently performing well.

Given the long-winded nature of any potential deal for Brozovic, one possibly involving up to three clubs, count on Xhaka being the midfielder Wenger stays focused on.

As for Vlahovic, his immediate impact would likely be minimal next season. Yet his arrival would show that Arsenal’s longest-serving manager remains determined to safeguard the club’s future.

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