According to Sky Sports, Julio Enciso is now flying to England ahead of a move to the Premier League, after Arsenal scouted him.
What’s the story?
Well, the Gunners are said to have sent scouts out to South America to watch the 18-year-old in action.
Arsenal were told to pay £7.7m for the teenager, but now, it seems as if Mikel Arteta could lose out on the wonderkid to fellow Premier League side Brighton.
Sky Sports believe Enciso will fly to England on Tuesday ahead of a potential move to the Amex Stadium.
Interestingly, Sky Sports add that the deal is yet to be completed and talks are ongoing, despite Libertad President Ruben di Tore confirming that the move had been finalised.
In that respect, Arsenal may still have a slim chance of hijacking the deal – in our view, at least.
In 17 appearances last season, the Paraguay international scored 11 goals, while also providing three assists – an impressive return for someone so young.
Julio Enciso could embarrass Arsenal
By the sounds of it, Enciso is a huge talent, who could do great things in the Premier League.
He has been playing top-flight football since the age of 15, and is already a senior international for Paraguay, which speaks volumes about his ability.
Therefore, if he does complete a move to Brighton, Arsenal may end up with egg on their face.
Brighton have already found a gem from South America in Moises Caicedo, who scored in a 4-0 win against Manchester United towards the end of last season.
In that respect, you would trust Graham Potter’s scouts to have identified another fine talent.
If word gets out that Arsenal scouted Enciso, but chose to let him join Brighton without making a bid, it would be quite embarrassing for the Gunners if he then went on to shine.
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