Arsenal Close in on Highly-Rated Man City Youngster as Player Stalls Over New Contract

Manchester City are fearful that Arsenal are closing in on the signing of highly-rated academy product Jadon Sancho. 

The Citizens have offered Sancho a three-year deal worth £30,000-a-week. However, the 17-year-old is stalling on signing a new deal, with a host of clubs including Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham interested in his signature.

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Sancho wasn't selected to travel with the squad to the US, and it is understood the player wants to leave the Etihad in a bid to play more regular first team football.

According to the Sun, Sancho is keen on joining Arsenal and sees Arsene Wenger as the perfect mentor to help guide him towards more first-team action. 

An Etihad source told the Sun: "The club is worried Arsenal are frontrunners for Jadon as he has a soft spot for them."

Even though he only turned 17 in March, Sancho has already trained with the senior side. Reports in March suggested that City were confident that they could agree a deal with Sancho, but it now looks likely the youngster won't be a City player at the end of the transfer window.

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Should Arsenal land the youngster, they will be getting one over on their rivals Tottenham who reportedly tried to secure Sancho's transfer as part of Kyle Walker's exit to City.

When Pep Guradiola asked Sancho to join his first-team squad for a training session last season, Sancho was over the moon.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News about his move to City, he said: "After school I would just be playing football and other people around me would be doing bad stuff and I didn't want to get in to doing that. 

"When City came along I thought it was a good opportunity to get out of the hood. There were a lot of bad influences.”