Arsenal appear to be on the brink of bringing in a long-term heir to Martin Odegaard in the engine room of their midfield.
The Gunners' transfer window has begun already, with work in the background on bringing in players across the pitch, as Mikel Arteta is said to be keen on bringing a new striker to Arsenal.
With several areas of the team in need of improvement, however, there could be surprise additions made this summer.
Arsenal lining up shock Martin Odegaard replacement
After picking up an ankle injury early in Arsenal's season while on international duty, Odegaard failed to recapture his best form in North London, scoring just six goals in competitions all term.
The Norwegian's woes were compounded by the lack of an experienced deputy, with teenager Ethan Nwaneri struggling to adjust to a no.8 role, Emile Smith Rowe sold over the summer and playmaker Fabio Vieira loaned out to Porto.
Along with The Athletic's reporting of the story, Greek outlet AMNA have claimed that the Gunners in “advanced negotiations” to land Konstantinos Karetsas from Belgian side Genk, adding that Arteta's side are “very close to an agreement” for a stunning £38 million.
2007-born Karetsas is a left-footed midfield talent who has inevitably been compared to Lionel Messi for his diminutive stature and creativity, who came through the ranks at Genk and represented Belgium's youth teams before switching allegiance to Greece's senior team.
With Arsenal perhaps favouring Nwaneri as a right-wing deputy to Bukayo Saka next term, FourFourTwo understands that Arteta and Co. are open to bringing in a chance creator in the engine room if the right opportunity presents itself.
Bilal El Khannouss was another Belgian-born no.10 previously linked with Arsenal, with the club clearly interested in a young understudy who could replace Odegaard in the long term.
With Arsenal also set to present opportunities to teenage sensation Max Dowman – ranked at no.47 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season – it remains improbable that the North Londoners will pay a significant fee for another left-footed creative spark.
Karetsas is worth €13m, as per Transfermarkt.
