Mikel Arteta and Jesus Rodriguez (Photo by David Ramos, Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Arsenal are one of the clubs leading the race to sign Real Betis wonderkid Jesus Rodriguez this summer, sources have told CaughtOffside.
The Gunners have had their scouts closely monitor Rodriguez in recent games in La Liga, as have both Liverpool and Chelsea.
Arsenal scouts have been highly impressed with the 19-year-old, and the north London giants are understood to view this as an exciting potential investment for the future.
Mikel Arteta could do with strengthening his depth in attack this summer, and it seems Rodriguez is emerging as someone who could make an impact for both the present and future.
Jesus Rodriguez transfer chase hots up ahead of the summer
Still, it remains to be seen if Arsenal can snap up Rodriguez, as Betis are understood to be keen to keep the Spain Under-21 international for a bit longer.
Big offers could force their hand, but there have not yet been any talks or offers made for the player, CaughtOffside understands.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal step up their interest in the weeks and months ahead, but they may have to watch out for Chelsea and Liverpool.
We all know that Chelsea are always particularly keen to hoover up the best young players from all across the world, and Rodriguez could fit in well as part of their strategy.
Liverpool, meanwhile, might also benefit from adding more depth to their front three, with Arne Slot in need of someone more reliable than the injury-prone Diogo Jota.
And although Mohamed Salah has now signed a new contract at Anfield, there remains some uncertainty about Luis Diaz’s future this summer.
Rodriguez will clearly have interesting options to think about, and it just seems a matter of time before Betis will have to accept that this top talent has to move on to bigger things.
