Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign 16-year= old midfielder Victor Ozhianvuna from Irish side Shamrock Rovers.
The teenager, who is already playing first-team football, will sign a pre-contract agreement, although Brexit regulations mean that he cannot officially join the Gunners until January 2027, once he has turned 18.
The fee agreed is expected to pass that paid by Tottenham to sign Mason Melia from St. Patrick’s for ₤1.6 million earlier this year, and will make it a record transfer for a League of Ireland player.
The player has already completed his medical and the deal could be completed in the next few days.
Ozhianvuna, who has a Russian father and Nigerian mother, has already played for Ireland at under-17 level.
His signing is the result of a conscious decision by Arsenal to begin scouting for talent in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, and they have developed an excellent relationship with James Bradley, who came through the Arsenal academy, but never broke through as a player.
