Arsenal are keen to tie down 18-year-old winger Amario Cozier-Duberry to a new contract amid growing interest from elsewhere, including Newcastle United.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are in talks with Amario Cozier-Duberry about a new contract in the coming period. The 18-year-old Arsenal prodigy’s current deal ends in the summer as there are many top clubs, including Newcastle United, sniffing around for his signature.
Many Arsenal fans voiced their opinion following Mikel Arteta’s decision not to play any of the club’s promising academy talents in a dead-rubber Champions League game away at PSV Eindhoven. In truth, that match was a glorious opportunity for some of their homegrown stars, including Amario Cozier-Duberry, to play for the first team, but the manager chose otherwise.
There are significant doubts about whether Arteta will provide some of their promising academy prospects a clear path into the first team, considering how strong Arsenal are at the moment. The likes of Cozier-Duberry do have the required talent, but there are many ahead of him in the pecking order.
For instance, the 18-year-old Arsenal prodigy might get the nod into the first team if the club can sell someone like Reiss Nelson and replace Cozier-Duberry in his place. That may seem like a good idea for some. But in truth, Arteta might end up buying a quality replacement instead.
Cozier-Duberry’s contract is set to end in the summer, although Arsenal had opened talks back in October to hand him a new deal. They are back in conversation with the player’s camp in hopes of extending his stay and probably laying down a plan for his future.
Fabrizio Romano has named a few suitors already in the race for Cozier-Duberry, with the 18-year-old Arsenal prodigy attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Anderlecht, Wolves and Newcastle United. The latter may worry the Gunners, given they have already recruited some of the best young profiles from other English sides recently.
The Magpies have signed Tino Livramento, Anthony Gordon, and Lewis Hall in recent windows and could look at Cozier-Duberry for their future. However, the Gunners will enter into negotiations with the 18-year-old with a plan and confidence to keep him at the club for many more years.
Arsenal must keep hold of their best academy talents either to let them play in the first team or make a stunning profit in the market. They have already lost a host of young stars in January, including Bradley Ibrahim to Hertha Berlin, and they do not want the same for Cozier-Duberry, especially for Newcastle United.
