Transfer News: Arsenal join Liverpool and Southampton in summer pursuit of Ben Brereton

Arsenal have reportedly joined the race to land Nottingham Forest prodigy Ben Brereton in the summer, alongside Liverpool and Southampton.

According to The Sun, Arsenal are the latest club to join the race for fledgling Nottingham Forest attacker Ben Brereton. The striker has been linked to the likes of Liverpool, Southampton and Manchester United. And, it seems the Gunners are the freshest link to emerge, with the youngster likely to depart in the summer amid such interest.

Nottingham Forest have been producing some gems of late, with the grandest one – Oliver Burke – plying his trade for shock Bundesliga title contenders RB Leipzig. Apart from Burke, the historic English outfit now has the likes of Matty Cash, Joe Worrall and Ben Osborn plying their trade in the first-team setup at City Ground.

Ben Brereton, too, has successfully broken into the first-team setup and has not looked out-of-place for a second, boasting a return of 3 goals and 3 assists in 13 senior appearances now. At 17, he has quickly become one of the hottest and most sought-after young properties in English football.

The England Under-19 striker has been on the radar of Liverpool for a while now – with the Reds being one of the first clubs to show interest in the 17-year-old. Liverpool are known to be lacking quality options in the striking department and a young player like Brereton could be the perfect addition to the squad.

Jurgen Klopp had reportedly earmarked Brereton as a player he thinks he can mould into a world-class striker, just as the German did it in the case of Robert Lewandowski.

Southampton, though, unlike Liverpool, are not short of options upfront. Manolo Gabbiadini has set the Premier League on fire after joining the club in January and the likes of Shane Long and Charlie Austin are all Premier League quality.

However, the Saints have a rich history of developing young talents – from within the club and through recruitment as well. Brereton has already proven himself in the Championship level. And, even though he is yet to play a full season in the second-tier, at 17, he has shown enough to feel that he can make the step up without much difficulty.

Now, Arsenal have joined the race as well. Arsenal’s interest can be explained by the uncertainty surrounding the future of Alexis Sanchez – the preferred first-choice striker right now.

And although, Wenger does have the likes of Lucas Perez, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck – who are all brilliant forwards in their own right – there are doubts as to whether The Gunners can finally end their Premier League drought with strikers of such quality.

Arsenal would be not just buying into the future with Ben Brereton, but the present as well. The player has shown he is unfazed by the situation and his youthful exuberance might just help him be a revelation in the Premier League as well.

The player is valued in and around the £10 million mark by Nottingham Forest and one can expect bids to exceed the valuation, if they are to convince the City Ground outfit to part with another one of their gems.

Manchester United, too, can get into the act, with the Red Devils formerly being one of the first clubs to be linked with a move for the 17-year-old.

Ben Brereton’s talent is undeniable and by the looks of it, we may well be seeing him strut his stuff in the top tier of English football very soon.