Arsenal’s interest in Racing Genk attacking midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas is genuine after a reliable journalist in the UK backed up reports from Greece.
The Athletic‘s James McNicholas has confirmed that the Gunners are contemplating a move for the 17-year-old who has been dubbed a “mini Odegaard” by some sections of the media.
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A bid of around €30m (£25m) to €40m (£34m) would be needed to convince Genk to sell their young gem.
That is a sizeable sum for a teenager who has very little experience of top level football and there is also another key factor that has to be considered.
Karetsas can’t be signed until January
Rules that were implemented after the UK left the EU mean that Premier League clubs cannot officially sign players from abroad until they are 18.
Karetsas is currently 17 years of age and his birthday is not until November so the earliest he can make the switch to the Emirates is the start of next year.
It means that Mikel Arteta’s side would have to replicate what other Premier League teams have done recently if they want to seal the Greek international’s signature now.
Chelsea’s move for Estevao could be a template that Arsenal follow
The Gunners’ London rivals had the same issue when they attempted to snap up Estevao Willian from Palmeiras last summer. They had a deal in place to buy the Brazilian for an initial €34m (£29m), with another €23m (£19m) in performance-related add-ons.
However, Estevao could not officially join Chelsea until he turned 18 in April this year. He will join up with Enzo Maresca’s side following the Club World Cup.
That deal demonstrates how Arsenal can reach a pre-agreement with Genk for Karetsas now, secure his services in January and then potentially loan him back for the second half of next season so he can continue his development. We shall see if that arrangement is something they explore.
In other news, we list three under-the-radar strikers Arsenal could sign instead of Benjamin Sesko