Report: Arsenal enquire about in-demand wing prodigy who’s ‘following in Ronaldo’s footsteps’

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Arsenal have reportedly ramped up interest in Joelson Fernandes and enquired over the Sporting Lisbon wonderkid’s availability, according to O Jogo.

The Portuguese outlet claims that Sporting chiefs think the 17-year-old is the next big talent to emerge from the club’s ranks, following in the footsteps of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Nani and Ricardo Quaresma.

As such, they are said to be pulling out all the stops to convince Joelson to sign a new contract.

The youngster’s current deal reportedly includes a release clause of £40million, but Sporting are said to be so confident about his potential that they’d like to raise it to around £90million (€100million).

However, Joelson and his representatives seemingly don’t want to go any higher than around £70million, keeping it below three figures so as to not put too much pressure on his shoulders.

Amid these discussions, it has been reported that Arsenal are undeterred and have in fact sought to find out, through emissaries, how contract discussions between Sporting and Joelson were going.

As well as the Gunners, Joelson is being reportedly monitored by clubs such as Barcelona and RB Leipzig as he closes in on a first-team debut for Portugal.

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Joelson has been tipped to break into the first team soon – indeed, he was an unused substitute against Tondela earlier this month – and is said to be “following in Ronaldo’s footsteps” (Goal.com).

Prior to current events, Joelson had spent the entirety of the season playing with the club’s Under-23s, where he had contributed five goals and two assists in 28 appearances despite not turning 17 until February.

However, it may prove tricky for Arsenal to make a move for him this summer to say the least, as £40million for a 17-year-old with no first-team experience would be a reckless move, given many clubs are expecting huge financial blows.