Arsenal and Manchester City are reportedly among a number of clubs that are interested in Jaden Philogene-Bidace, who is currently playing for Aston Villa.
Football Insider have revealed that Arsenal are interested in and are set to rival Manchester City in their pursuit of Jaden Philogene-Bidace. The Aston Villa starlet is reportedly on the radar of the two clubs, with Mikel Arteta intent on beating his former employers and land the young winger in the process.
Aston Villa are trying to convince Jaden to sign an extension at the club, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the 2019-20 season. But, the interest coming from Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester City might pose a problem in the same.
Man City are set to battle Bayern Munich and Ajax to sign Aston Villa wonderkid Jaden Philogene-Bidace. [MEN] #avfc pic.twitter.com/TWrjZHfCUN
— astonforza (@astonforza) March 6, 2020
17-year-old Jaden has set the Under-18 Premier League alight this season, with 6 goals and an assist in 10 games so far. One of those goals came recently in the Under-18 match against Arsenal, which might be where he piqued the interest of the Gunners. The young winger has also featured for the Under-23 squad as well and is said to be right around the first-team setup.
Arsenal and Manchester City are not the only clubs that are interested in Jaden Philogene-Bidace, with Ajax and Bayern Munich also reported to be looking at the Aston Villa prospect. All of the clubs have sent scouts to the Midlands to check Jaden out and have reportedly received glorious feedbacks.
In fact, Philogene-Bidace has also shown a bit of his versatile side. While he is predominantly a left winger, he has started his last two games on the right.
Arsenal signed Nicolas Pepe in the summer. But, the Ivorian hasn’t been that great of a hit and has only started to hit his stride now, with a goal and 3 assists in his last three Premier League matches. Mikel Arteta also has Reiss Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka as potential options out on the wing.
The Arsenal manager is looking to add more youthfulness and pace on the wings as part of his rebuild and wants his side to beat Manchester City to Jaden. The defending Premier League champions have been known to always be on the lookout for young gems, both within the country and otherwise, and recruit them to be part of their academy.
Where Arsenal’s advantage might lie is their first-team squad and the amount of chances they have given the youth that they have brought in, with Matteo Guendouzi and Gabriel Martinelli both shining examples.
