Arsenal are showing strong interest in signing record-breaking youngster Axel Donczew from Cardiff City this summer, according to Sam Dean of The Telegraph.
The 16-year-old stole headlines in Wales last season as he made his competitive debut to become the youngest player in Bluebirds' history.
The Gunners are interested in acquiring his services in a move that would see them continue their attempts to improve their academy during the transfer window.
As per Sam Dean's report, Donczew would initially join Arsenal's academy setup and that is expected for a player of his age.
This summer is set to be a transitional one for the Gunners' youth sides following Per Mertesacker's departure as Academy Manager and the expected arrival of Pascal De Maesschalck as Academy Director.
That has been reflected in their approach so far this window as they made a notable failed attempt to sign Jeremy Monga from Leicester City before his move to Manchester City.
Donczew is the latest young star that Arsenal have shown interest in signing this summer, joining the likes of ex-Tottenham defender Elijah Upson and Paris Saint-Germain star Emmanuel Mbemba on the North Londoners' shortlist.
The winger became his side's youngest player of all time last season when he came off the bench in an EFL Trophy tie against Newport County aged 15 years and 234 days old, breaking the record set by Rob Tankiewicz just 64 minutes earlier.
At 16 years and 117 days old, Tankiewicz started in the 1-0 defeat to surpass Aaron Ramsey as his side's youngest player by a matter of days. The former Gunner held the record for 18 years having made his debut for Cardiff aged 16 years and 123 days.
He has also broke into Wales' youth setup over the past two years, receiving two caps for their Under-15 side and making one appearance for the Under-16s.
If Donczew is to move to Arsenal, he would follow in the footsteps of Ramsey, who waved goodbye to the Welsh capital to move to North London in 2008. He made 369 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 64 goals and providing 60 assists before bidding farewell at the end of the 2018/19 season.
The former Wales captain did return to Cardiff on two occasions after his initial departure for a short loan spell in 2011 and a two-year period near the end of his career. Throughout his three spells with the Bluebirds, he played a total of 52 games, netting six times and grabbing three assists.
Donczew would be a great addition to the Hale End setup if he does make the move to the English capital and he will be hoping he could eventually have the same Arsenal legacy as his fellow Cardiff academy graduate and countryman Ramsey.
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as Arsenal showing strong interest in record-breaking Cardiff City youngster .
