Arsenal football club could sign the next Lionel Messi as reports have indicated that the club are close to agreeing a deal to sign Argentine teenager Maxi Romero subject to an ownership issue.
Despite being just 16-years old, Romero has attracted some interest with Arsenal being his biggest admirers. If reports are to be believed, Arsenal will sign Romero for a fee of A?4.5m in the coming days and will loan him back to Velez Sarsfield, where he is currently playing at the moment, for a period of two years.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is a keen admirer of young talent and the fact that Romero has his attention and that he is willing to fork out such a huge fee for a 16-year old clearly shows that the kid has some serious talent.
There is, however, a minor issue as Romero’s agent and his club Velez Sarsfield part own and have a stake in the player.
Raul Gamez, Velez’s president, said, “Arsenal have made a big offer for Maxi Romero. I don’t want to talk figures just yet but it’s a big offer.”
Romero’s agent Rolando Zarate added that Arsenal have been scouting the teenager for some time now and are pretty impressed with him, “I met with Arsene Wenger twice in London. They heard about Maxi through their scouts in South America. He is the player who has most impressed him.
“Maxi has huge potential but he is going to complete apprenticeship at a great club like Velez,” he added.
Arsene Wenger is known for bringing in young players with potential and developing them into first team stars. The likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri are few names that come into one’s mind.
Maxi has such good potential that he has been likened to Barcelona star Lionel Messi already. However, the youngster had said during the weekend that he wanted to stay at Velez, something that convinced his agent to arrange for a two-year stay if the deal goes ahead, “I know nothing, it’s handled by my dad, my family, Roly and Velez. Of the transfer, I know nothing, Roly and my old man are in the know.
“I want to stay in Velez. I decided this from the beginning (of negotiations). I told Roly I did not want to leave Velez. He told me he was going to fix it. Luckily he arranged for me to stay two years in Velez. He talked to my dad and told him that there is a clause for two years,” he told Velez Radio.