Manchester United could supposedly repeat their Chido Obi Martin trick by prising another young talent away from Arsenal in 2025.
The Red Devils swooped for teenage striker Obi Martin in the summer after the Gunners failed in their efforts to tie the prolific striker down to a new contract in North London.
Obi Martin is yet to make his first-team breakthrough at Old Trafford, but the forward has already scored seven goals in as many games for the Under-18s and signed a professional deal in November.
Now, TBRFootball claims that Man United could try to make academy lightning strike twice, as the Red Devils are one of several clubs keeping a close eye on the progress of 18-year-old defender Ayden Heaven.
The 2006-born defender made his Gunners debut as a late substitute in their 3-0 EFL Cup fourth-round win over Preston North End on October 30, and he has also made the bench in the Premier League and Champions League.
Arsenal struggling to agree new terms with Heaven?
© Imago
As well as being in and around Mikel Arteta's first team this season, Heaven has made regular appearances for the Gunners' Under-21s and is being tipped as a top prospect for the future.
However, the 6ft 2in centre-back is about to enter the final six months of his contract with the North London club, and he is therefore free to discuss pre-contract deals with foreign teams from January.
The report adds that Arsenal are 'in danger' of losing Heaven in half a year's time, as the defender has rebuffed the Gunners' attempts to tie him to fresh terms as several European giants circle.
Man United are just one of the continental powerhouses said to be showing an interest, a list that also includes Premier League rivals Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Across Europe, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille have all been credited with an interest in Heaven, who joined Arsenal from West Ham United in 2019.
Do Arsenal still have an academy problem?
© Imago
Not every rising star who comes through Arsenal's Hale End ranks is going to become the next Bukayo Saka, and Arteta has made a concerted effort to expose some top talents to first-team football this season.
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are both fully-fledged members of the first team, although Gooners still have a bone to pick with Arteta over the former, who is yet to start a Premier League game this season.
A lack of a clear pathway to the first team is supposedly what led Obi Martin, Reuell Walters and Amario Cozier-Duberry to depart, while Lino Sousa and Omari Hutchinson have also joined Premier League rivals.
It can be argued that some of those embryonic players were simply not at the level required to make it at the Emirates, but Arsenal struggling to sign another highly-rated product to a professional deal suggests that the Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly promotions have not solved all of their problems.
Ben Knapton
