Manchester United are set to secure the signing of Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin, according to reports.
The Red Devils appear to have pulled off a coup for the 16-year-old under the noses of their Premier League rivals for the talented striker.
It will represent United’s first attack-minded signing from Arsenal since a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez in 2018 which saw Danny Welbeck go in the opposite direction.
That came just six years after United poached Robin van Persie for £22.5million.
Obi-Martin has already endeared himself to United fans for his sensational performance in an U16 match against arch-rivals Liverpool in February.
The teenager netted a staggering ten times for the Gunners in the match against Liverpool, to help bolster his season tally of 29 goals in 17 league games for the club’s U18 side.
His goals in the fixture were born out of a mix of speed, power and precision while showing a cool head in front of goal.
And to show the performance wasn’t just a one off, he netted four against Crystal Palace and one against Fulham.
Incredibly, the prolific teen had previously scored five in a match against West Ham and seven against Norwich.
Obi-Martin will now take his talents to Old Trafford as reported by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday.
“Chido Obi Martin to Man United, here we go! Talented striker leaves Arsenal and he’s just accepted Man Utd proposal,” Romano posted.
“Pathway key for Chido who’s turned down higher bids from Germany to sign for Man United.
“Project convinced 2007-born top talent to accept.”
Arsenal hoped to convince the striker to stay in north London by offering him a pathway into the U21 squad via the U18 set-up.
However, Obi-Martin appeared set on being fast-tracked to the U21 side and was even eying up the occasional training session with Mikel Arteta’s first team squad, according to the Daily Mail.
The youngster joined Arsenal from Danish side KB in 2022 and represented Denmark in the 2024 UEFA Under-17s European Championship qualification rounds.
He was selected for the group stages of the competition, netting twice in three appearances.
Players traded between Manchester United and Arsenal
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Manchester United to Arsenal (Part of swap deal) January 2018
Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal to Manchester United (Part of swap deal) January 2018
Danny Welbeck – Manchester United to Arsenal – January 2014 (£16m)
Robin van Persie – Arsenal to Manchester United – August 2012 (£22.5m)
Mikael Silvestre – Manchester United to Arsenal – August 2008 (£750,000)
Viv Anderson – Arsenal to Manchester United – July 1987 (£250,000)
News Summary:
- Manchester United set to sign Arsenal wonderkid who scored 10 goals in one game against Liverpool with huge contract
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