Arsenal stance revealed on 19 y/0 starlet and Barcelona transfer target

Arsenal have continued showing their interest in the Austrian Bundesliga rising star Oscar Gloukh as it was revealed scouts were present for Red Bull Salzburg's 1-1 draw with FC Blau Weiss Linz. Football Transfers reported earlier in February that the Gunners were following the progression of the 19-year-old Israeli international with a view to acquiring his services ahead of the 2024/25 season.

However, this task may not be as easy as the Gunners would like with Barcelona mong the clubs currently monitoring the situation. Mikel Arteta's side are taking positive steps towards signing the Israeli after it was revealed the Gunners had scouts out in Austria this week. Gloukh played the full 90 minutes against FC Blau Weiss Linz and while the result was ultimately disappointing, Gloukh delivered a lively performance which saw him create chances for his teammates as well as threaten to score himself.

He was deployed as one of two number tens and had four shots but most importantly delivered five key passes. He touched the ball 81 times and won an impressive 71% of the seven duels he contested.

Born in Rehovot, Israel, the attacking midfielder started his youth career with Maccabi Sha'arayim and Maccabi Tel Aviv. After signing his first professional contract with Tel Aviv in 2022, he moved across to the Austrian Bundesliga in 2023 and has made 32 league appearances already, scoring on six occasions. He signed a four-and-a-half year contract in a deal worth €7 million (around £6m) and he became the then youngest Israeli footballer to score in the Champions League after netting the ball in a 2-0 away win over Portuguese side Benfica.

The 19-year-old is also already a well-established international player and has won eleven caps for Israel, scoring three times. Football Transfers has since estimated that the 19-year-old would be worth around £14m if the Gunners were to prize him away from Salzburg this summer.