Arsenal are reportedly set to battle their London rivals Chelsea for the transfer of Marseille’s highly rated youngster Boubacar Kamara.
French publication L’Equipe have claimed that Arsenal are now keeping tabs on Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara. The teenager, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea in the recent past, is now on the radar of their London rivals Arsenal.
Boubacar Kamara came up through the ranks at Marseille and is regarded as one of the hottest young prospects in Ligue 1 at the moment. The 17-year-old is yet to sign a professional contract with the club, which has alerted the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, who are now looking to bring the player over to the Premier League.
Kamara is yet to make a senior Ligue 1 appearance but is highly regarded within the club and has already represented France at the Under 17 and the Under 18 level. As such, Marseille president Jacques-Henri Eyraud is eager to lock the player down to a long-term contract at the club.
Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners eyeing 17-year-old Marseille starlet Boubacar Kamara https://t.co/inPxanQcNK
— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) November 25, 2016
However, as per L’Equipe, Arsenal and Chelsea are ready to swoop in for the player if the talks between him and the club are unsuccessful. Since the young centre-back has not signed a professional deal, the London duo would be able to offer him a contract straight away, and would only be required to pay a compensation fee to Marseille.
While Chelsea have a history of signing the hottest talents across Europe to add to their academy ranks, Arsenal would hope their previous history in terms of transfer dealings with Marseille comes in handy. Arsenal signed Mathieu Flamini and Samir Nasri from Marseille in the last decade, with both of them moving to the Gunners as young talents.
Marseille have recently been taken over by American billionaire Frank McCourt and are likely to match the terms offered by Arsenal or Chelsea, so it would be interesting to see what Kamara ends up choosing.
If Kamara wishes for a quicker route to the first-team setup, then Marseille is the best option among the three. However, the lure of the illustrious Premier League may draw the player over towards either of Arsenal or Chelsea.