Arsenal risk losing one of their best teenage
prospects because of a contract stand-off.
England under-17s keeper Arthur Okonkwo, 16, is
being targeted by RB Leipzig and Celtic because he has yet to sign a deal at
Arsenal.
Okonkwo, who is already 6ft 5in, is seen as one of
Arsenal’s most promising youngsters with a genuine chance of making the first
team and is regarded highly in the England set-up.
Okonkwo is keen to stay at Arsenal but the club’s
purge on contracts means they stand to lose him as he can walk away as a free
agent in the summer.
Arsenal have offered him a scholarship with a
professional contract to follow when he turns 17 in September but no agreement
has been reached.
That has alerted several clubs who are offering
better deals with Arsenal in danger of losing players because of their attitude
to contracts.
Arsenal brought in Huss Fahmy, formerly of Team Sky,
to negotiate contracts and he is quickly getting a reputation of being a tough
operator at all levels.
They have asked Jack Wilshere to take a pay cut at
first team level and move to a pay-as-you-play deal but Arsenal are clearly
taking a similar attitude throughout the ranks.
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