Arsenal are reportedly setting their sights on Blackburn's rising star Harvey Higgins, who has drawn comparisons to Jamie Vardy. The 16-year-old forward has been making a name for himself at Blackburn and has also represented England at youth level.
Higgins' performances have not only caught the attention of clubs but also sponsors, with the youngster signing a deal with sports apparel giant Puma. Arsenal are among several clubs believed to be keen on securing his services, with Serie A outfits also said to be in the running, according to the Sun.
However, the Gunners are reportedly looking to wrap up a deal 'in the next few weeks', which could see Blackburn pocket up to £1.5million in compensation. The report also suggests that Blackburn are battling to retain another young talent, 16-year-old defender Silver Eze.
Eze, who joined Blackburn from Accrington Stanley in November, is already reportedly drawing interest from 'big clubs', despite his recent arrival. Higgins made his debut for Blackburn's Under-21s at just 15 years old in December, scoring in a 4-4 draw with Preston North End. Eze also debuted in the same match, earning praise from head coach Mike Sheron, reports the Mirror.
"First and foremost, it was delightful to see some really young lads get on and cope well," Sheron told the Lancashire Telegraph. "We had a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old finishing the game and it's great to see some of the talent we still have coming through the Academy and getting the opportunities.
"To see Harvey score with more or less his first touch was great and we started the game well, scoring in the first minute. I felt they were probably the better side in the first half, they dominated the possession a lot more than we'd have liked them to and maybe their experience was showing more.
"You've got to give our lads a lot of credit because we had words at half-time about how we were going to stop the tide and it was great to see the substitutes work. To equalise, go 3-2 up and then 4-3 up, I thought we showed good spirit tonight and I was really pleased with how the second half went.
"I was just disappointed with the game management at the end, but you've got to expect that with a young side. We were really pleased with the positives going forward, but we were pretty disappointing on transitions and a little too open."
Arsenal are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window, with Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta already working hard behind the scenes. "It's going to be a big one and we are very excited about it," Arteta said. "The way we planned the five first summers, they were going to be very big and they were going to have different objectives because the turnaround of players and the objective of those windows was going to be different.
"But now when you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad but as well we want to increase the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. I think Andrea is a big addition to the club, a big addition to the team, a team that is already formed with a lot of great people.
"Every summer is big because it is an opportunity and especially because of the number of players we have in the squad right now that is necessary. But it's a big summer for many things because first of all we have to maintain the good foundations that we have and then obviously how can we improve and evolve the team."
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