ARSENAL are eyeing another Brazilian teenager after being alerted to Flamengo winger Matheus Goncalves.
And they have been advised to make a quick move for the exciting 17-year-old in a bid to head off rival interest from Manchester City, Ajax and Benfica.
The League leaders have an extensive network of talent scouts scouring the South American markets under the direction of sporting director Edu.
In the past few years they have been responsible for Gabriel Martinelli’s £6million move from Brazilian minnows Ituano as well as last summer’s £3m signing of Marquinhos from Sao Paulo.
Now they are tracking the progress of right winger Goncalves, who has been described as the best young prospect to ever come through Flamengo’s academy by former manager Dorival Junior.
And Arsenal are aware of the buzz surrounding the left-footed teenager who only made his senior debut in October but is already being tipped for future stardom in Europe.
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He is currently under contract until 2025 and his deal contains a staggering release clause of £88m.
But he wouldn’t cost anything like that figure and could be available for as little as £2.5m in the summer.
Virtually all of Goncalves’ 11 senior appearances for Flamengo have come off the bench but he scored the winning goal against Rio rivals Botafogo in his only start for the first team in February.
But he also has a raw side to his game and was sent off for two yellow cards in the recent game against Vasco da Gama despite only coming on as an 89th-minute substitute.
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Yet that is unlikely to deter Arsenal, who believe their strong Brazilian connections will give them an advantage over potential rivals for the youngster’s signature.
As well as Edu, Martinelli and Marquinhos, they also have Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jorginho in their squad.
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