Arsenal agree record fee and are set to complete eighth summer signing | Football

Arsenal are on the verge of sealing their eighth signing of the summer transfer window after agreeing a deal to sign Victor Ozhianvuna.

The 16-year-old Shamrock Rovers midfielder will sign a pre-contract with Arsenal which means he will join when he turns 18 in January 2027.

While the fee remains undisclosed, The Athletic, reports that Arsenal will shell out more than the £1.6million Spurs paid to sign Mason Melia from St Patrick’s Athletic earlier this year which. at the time, represented a record for for a League of Ireland player.

Ozhianvuna, a right-footed midfielder, is already playing senior football for Rovers who plays on the left.

The player’s medical has already been completed and is anticipated that the deal will go through early next week.

As an EU citizen, under current regulations, Ozhianvuna will not be able to represent Arsenal until he turns 18, but the north London club are confident his future will be in safe hands until such a point he is able to join them.

While there are no guarantees Ozhianvuna will make the grade at first team level, the potential pathway has never been more evident.

Arsenal finished last night’s game against Leeds United with three homegrown teenagers on the pitch in Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman.

While Viktor Gyokeres made his home debut with two goals, it was the 15-year-old Dowman who stole the show with an eye-catching cameo.

‘This is what we see every single day in training,’ said Mikel Arteta reflecting on Dowman’s performance.

‘I think we just gathered information about how he handles certain situations in terms of training, being in the squad and not being selected afterwards in Manchester, coming on the bench and feeling ready.

‘But again, a big compliment to his family as well. I think there is a kid with a level of maturity, stability and hunger that is very difficult to see.

‘And obviously to Per, the academy, all the coaches and everyone who has been involved in that journey, because there is a kid here that has zero hesitation.

‘He’s so convinced that he can go at 15 and deliver that, which I have never witnessed in my life. And for us, it brings joy, it brings emotion and something else that makes our jobs so great.’

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