Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of completing their first January signing with Hertha Berlin teenager Omar Rekik close to joining the club.
According to a report from Metro, Arsenal are close to making their first signing of the upcoming January transfer window, with teenage defender Omar Rekik set to complete a move for Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
18-year-old Rekik had spells 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 was involved with the German club’s Under-19 side over the past couple of years, making 46 appearances in which he scored five goals and set up six more. The teenage defender was promoted to the Hertha Berlin II side in the ongoing campaign, for whom he has taken the field on eight occasions, scoring and assisting one goal each.
Arsenal had registered their interest in Rekik in the summer transfer window itself and had held talks with Hertha for the centre-back while they were negotiating Matteo Guendouzi’s loan move to the Bundesliga outfit.
An agreement over a £900,000 transfer fee had been reached on the deadline day itself, but a move could not be completed within time. However, it was largely expected that the deal would eventually go through when the January transfer window opens for business.
And, now, it is being reported that Arsenal are on the verge of completing the deal after Rekik arrived in London on Thursday. The teenage centre-back shared an image of him touching down in the capital on his Instagram stories, hinting that a move was imminent.
Arsenal have brought in a number of players to bolster their reserve ranks of late. The likes of Salah Eddine, Jonathan Dinzeyi, Nikolaj Moller, Tim Akinola, Joel Ideho and George Lewis are some of the names that have been ushered in to bolster the Under-23 squad. And, it seems like Rekik could be the latest to join the roster.
It has been claimed that ex-Gunners’ centre-back and current academy manager Per Mertesacker is the driving force behind the deal as he looks to fill the missing gaps within the Under-23 side. Rekik is expected to compete with the likes of Dinzeyi, Dan Ballard and Harry Clarke in the Arsenal reserve setup.