Arsenal have reportedly struck an agreement with Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin for the January signing of 18-year-old whizkid Omar Rekik.
According to a report from Football.london, Premier League giants Arsenal already have an agreement in place for their first signing of the January transfer window. The Gunners are set to sign teenage sensation Omar Rekik from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
The 18-year-old Rekik has spent time at the academies of Feyenoord, Manchester City, PSV Eindhoven as well as Marseille before he ended up at the Hertha Berlin youth setup in 2017.
Rekik earned his stripes with the club’s U-19 side over the past couple of seasons, racking up 46 appearances in which he scored five goals and set up six more. The young centre-back was promoted to the Hertha Berlin II side in the ongoing campaign, for whom he has already featured eight times scoring and assisting one goal apiece.
Rekik had been on the radars of Arsenal during the summer transfer window itself. In fact, the Gunners came close to signing the teenage centre-back on the transfer deadline day but a deal could not be completed. However, they are now set to push the deal over the line with an agreement with the Bundesliga outfit already in place.
It is claimed that Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker has been the driving force behind the deal, having assured Rekik that he will be given plenty of opportunities to train with the senior team should he make the switch to London.
Arsenal have recruited quite heavily for their U-23 squad over the past year or so under Mertesacker. The likes of Nikolaj Moller, Jonathan Dinzeyi, Tim Akinola, George Lewis and Joe Ideho are some of the names that have come through the doors to join the Gunners’ reserve setup, along with 17-year-old wunderkind Salah Eddine.
And, it seems like Rekik will be the next addition to that list. However, it is also claimed in the report that Arsenal are open to the idea of loaning the 18-year-old back to Hertha Berlin to continue his development, although no decision has been made at this point.