Andrea Berta Strongly Pursuing Arsenal Deal to Sign Ayyoub Bouaddi

He studied journalism at the University of South Wales and published a football book, named Bluebird Heaven, around the same time with Pitch Publishing.

Since then, Jamie has continued to specialise in football journalism, PR and football-related Spanish translation. He has worked with a number of media companies, including Reach PCL, Iconic Group and many more over a decade-long career. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Arsenal are said to be hopeful of landing one of the brightest young talents on the market this summer. The Gunners are hoping to fine-tune their squad ahead of a Premier League title defence next season, with Mikel Arteta wanting to add a left-winger as a priority, while he is also likely to add a midfielder, striker and a right-back.

Only one of those signings is likely to be signed as a guaranteed starter - or as close as you can get to guaranteeing starts - while the others will likely see other squad members replaced, taking Gabriel Jesus up top as an example.

But aside from those deals, Arsenal are always looking at talented youngsters they can snap up, and they do need to do better on that front to save themselves having to pay huge fees for ready-made players on a consistent basis, as they have been during this successful run.

Lille and Morocco star Ayyoub Bouaddi is one of the hottest names on the market this summer. The 'insane' 18-year-old was already attracting attention ahead of the World Cup, and his impressive start at the competition has only ramped up the transfer rumours. The youngster looked accomplished far beyond his years as he kept the Brazil midfield quiet during an opening game draw.

A number of clubs are being linked with the midfielder, and Arsenal could be one of the clubs to make a move. According to CaughtOffside, Andrea Berta is 'feeling positive' about talks despite not yet reaching an agreement over personal terms. A source is said to have reported that Bouaddi could be a 'top target', but there is work going on over other deals, which could include Manu Koné, Sandro Tonali and Bradley Barcola.

It's reported Arsenal's Champions League opponents PSG are keen on a deal, and while Lille would prefer not to sell to a Ligue 1 rival, the 'Parisiens' are not dissuaded.

Bouaddi, who plays like Declan Rice according to one journalist, could cost as much as £80million, according to the report, so Arsenal will need to decide whether they want to spend quite so much on a young player while having a need to spend on more senior players in other positions.

Much will also come down to how much Arsenal are willing to spend in all this summer, and indeed how many exits there are from their squad. The Gunners have become a profit machine during this successful period, so they do have the space to spend plenty this summer, even after a more than £200million outlay last summer.

But while it is far from a sell-to-buy situation, they are going to need to balance the books with at least a couple of significant sales this summer, and those sales could include the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.

During the ITV broadcast of Morocco's draw with Brazil, former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud said of Bouaddi: "What impressed me was his maturity and his environment, which is really healthy, first and foremost. He has a good head on his shoulders in the sense that he is calm and self-confident. He is a gift to have on your team and Morocco must be very happy to have him,” he explained during the broadcast.

"All my friends and several teammates told me about Patrick Vieira and Sergio Busquets, saying that he was a mix of both. He still has a way to go to reach both of them, but there are similarities."