Arsenal’s Chris Willock is reportedly ready to leave the club this summer.
Arsenal’s Chris Willock celebrates scoring
According to The Mirror, Arsenal winger Chris Willock is ready to leave the club this summer as he searches for first-team football – and Celtic are ready to make their move.
Willock, 19, joined the Arsenal ranks at the age of just five way back in 2003, and he has made his way up through the ranks over the years, becoming a key player at youth and reserve levels.
An England youth international with the Under-16’s, 17’s, 18’s and 19’s, Willock has been touted for a big future for some time – but he has yet to make a Premier League appearance for the Gunners, and he has played just 25 minutes of action this season in all competitions.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Arsenal risk losing Willock – and The Mirror claim that he is ready to leave the Emirates Stadium in a bid to play first-team football elsewhere.
It’s stated that, whilst negotiations with Arsenal over a new deal are ongoing, no agreement has been reached, and Celtic are lurking in the shadows as they attempt to lure the pacey winger to Glasgow.
The Bhoys pulled off one of their finest transfers in recent memory by snapping up Moussa Dembele from Fulham last summer, paying minimal compensation for the French striker due to cross-board contract rules.
Arsenal’s Chris Willock and Manchester City’s Jacob Davenport in action
Dembele’s 32 goals in 46 games this season means Celtic are looking at similar deals, and Willock fits the bill in the sense that, whilst English clubs would have to pay a hefty compensation fee to land Willock at the end of his Arsenal contract, Celtic would have to pay a fraction of the cost.
Whilst he has yet to prove himself in senior football, Willock has real potential, and could be viewed as a possible replacement for Patrick Roberts once his loan deal from Manchester City ends, with the Arsenal teenager seeking more playing time.
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