Arsenal join race for teenage wonderkid as the Gunners compete with top European clubs for £5m rated star

Arsenal are among the clubs following Mali youth international midfielder Baye Coulibaly.

The 18-year old shot to prominence last year when he starred for unfancied Mali U17s at the World Cup where they pulled off a number of surprise performances including the 3-0 defeat of Argentina, culminating in a third place finish.

Coulibaly filled in as an emergency centre back then for his country but has established himself as a defensive midfielder where he figured for Mali U20s in last month’s Africa Cup of Nations and earned man of the match in their 0-0 draw with Gambia.

The teenager has been snapped up by NK Kustosija in Croatia who are developing a reputation for discovering young talents and moving them on to bigger clubs in Europe. 

They sold 17-year old striker Dino Klapija, a former Manchester United target, to Red Bull Leipzig last summer and previously sold Senegalese prospect Mikayil Faye to Barcelona who was subsequently bought by Rennes for £12m in August.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta (left) is keen to continue recruiting youngsters with huge potential

Faye was also on Arsenal’s radar, but budget restrictions meant they had to prioritise other areas in the summer.

However, that hasn’t deterred them from taking an interest in Coulibaly, but they are not alone.

Champions League sides Girona and Red Bull Salzburg have also made enquiries while La Liga side Getafe have made an initial offer as they look to steal a march on rivals for January.

The Madrid-based side though are understood to be short on Kustosija’s valuation with top prospect Coulibaly rated in the £5m bracket.