Arsenal join race for Norwegian wonderkid who has already emulated Martin Odegaard: report

Arsenal have not been afraid to turn to youth under Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners have handed opportunities to several young players in recent seasons, with the likes of Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri making their mark in the first team.

Now, Arsenal are looking to the future again as they eye a rising star from abroad - but they face competition from a Premier League rival.

Arsenal join Premier League rival in race for Norwegian teenager

One factor that may give the Gunners the edge in their pursuit of the youngster is their captain, Martin Odegaard.

The Norway international knows how it feels to be branded a wonderkid, having joined Real Madrid aged only 16 in 2015, and Arsenal are in the hunt for a player who grew up admiring the midfielder.

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According to Norwegian channel TV 2 Sport, the Gunners are scouting 16-year-old Fredrikstad midfielder Eirik Granaas, who grew up in Odegaard's home city of Drammen and apparently models his game on his countryman.

The similarities do not stop there, with the teenager having last year broken Odegaard's record as the youngest player in the history of the Eliteserien - Norway's top flight - after making his debut aged just 15 years and 90 days, beating the Arsenal skipper by 27 days.

Granaas has since featured regularly for Fredrikstad, who are fifth in the Eliteserien, and scored a late winner against Aalesund last week.

His performances have caught the eye of several top European clubs, with TV 2 adding that RB Leipzig are scouting the youngster, while Liverpool are also reportedly monitoring his progress.

Bundesliga club Leipzig are said to have been scouting Granaas for "a long time", while Fredrikstad sporting director Anders Jensen confirmed there is "great interest" in the teenager.

If Granaas departs, it is likely he will break Fredrikstad's record for an outgoing transfer, which was set when Senegalese centre back Fallou Fall joined St Louis City for €3m (about £2.2m) last summer.

While the Norwegian is a long-term prospect, Arsenal face a season-defining week in the here and now.

The Gunners take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting tonight, before visiting Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday.