Arsenal chase Bakkali and plan raids for Marshall and Williams

Race to sign the Belgian teenager is underway as Wenger also eyes Cardiff and Swansea stars

Zakaria Bakkali
(Image credit: 2013 Getty Images)

Ukip might not like it, but both Arsenal and Liverpool believe their future lies in Europe and are heading to the continent in a bid to bolster their attacking options ahead of next season. According to the Daily Express both clubs are after PSV Eindhoven's Belgian wonderkid Zakaria Bakkali.

The 18-year-old forward is being chased by the Premier League powerhouses even though the paper reports that he has a reputation for tetchiness. Bakkali is allegedly "refusing to sign a contract extension" with Eindhoven and consequently they have grown "increasingly frustrated" with the youngster's antics. He was substituted after just 16 minutes in a friendly this month after neglecting his defensive duties and with a year to run on his existing contract Bakkali could be sold off in the summer to prevent him leaving on a free transfer in 12 months' time. The Express claims Arsenal are front-runners to sign the young winger with Arsene Wenger believing he has the savoir-faire to tame the teenager.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.