Arsenal report: Real Madrid eye Max Dowman in superstar move

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Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman is being primed for Real Madrid, as Los Blancos look to snare the next big thing in football

Arsenal youngster Max Dowman gets an arm around the shoulder from Declan Rice
Arsenal youngster Max Dowman is wanted at the Bernabeu (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal starlet Max Dowman is wanted by Real Madrid in a seismic swoop and statement of intent from Los Blancos.

The Gunners wonderkid has been on preseason with the senior Arsenal squad in Asia this summer, impressing against Milan and Newcastle United lately, ahead of a potential debut in the first team this season.

Still just 15 years old, Dowman was ranked at no.47 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch last season and now finds himself the subject of intense scrutiny – and interest from the world's elite.

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Real Madrid want Max Dowman, with the Arsenal youngster tipped for huge things

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has a word with Max Dowman

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has a word with Max Dowman (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal have made big efforts in recent seasons to provide academy graduates with pathways to the first team, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah establishing themselves as first-team regulars before the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri followed suit last term.

Nwaneri, in particular, was handed a Premier League debut at the age of just 15 years, five months and 28 days, to in part show the Chelsea and Manchester City target that he had a clear future at the Emirates Stadium.

Manager Mikel Arteta may well have to do the same thing with Dowman, with the youngster wanted by Real Madrid, as per a report from Defensa Central.

The 15-time European champions have shifted away from their big-money Galactico model in the last decade or so, instead prioritising signing superstars on free transfers and only spending big on younger prospects, such Endrick, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham.

Real have identified Dowman as the next superstar of Europe – similarly to how they signed fellow Gunner Martin Odegaard as a teenager – but FourFourTwo understands that a deal for the English talent is near impossible at this stage.

Sources have claimed via respected X (formerly Twitter) account @HandofArsenal that “Arsenal [have never] put this much effort into ensuring a clear pathway” for a prospect before, with Dowman already assigned a senior mentor, in the form of Declan Rice.

Max Dowman of Arsenal during the Arsenal U18 training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on July 11, 2024 in London Colney, England.

Max Dowman is now on the fringes of the first team (Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Dowman is one of the jewels in the Hale End setup and after being placed in the under-18 side – at the age of just 14 – he could well appear for Arsenal's senior side this term.

The starlet has been assigned the no.56 shirt for the season.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.

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