Arsenal and Man City battle over English wonderkid
Tom Weber
- Updated: 13 Oct 2023 06:23 BST
- 4 min read
Arsenal and Manchester City are among the suitors of 18-year-old midfielder Noel Buck, according to a report.
Born in the US but representing the England U19s, Buck has already racked up veteran-level appearances despite his youth. A regular for the New England Revolution II, the MLS side's reserve team, in the fully professional USL League One at 16, the midfielder is now a constant in the senior squad.
To date, Buck has made 35 appearances for the Revs' first team and this has seen him catch the attention of scouts in the country of his father's birth. According to The Athletic's Tom Bogert, the central midfielder is among the most likely names to get a big move in the upcoming transfer windows after coming fourth in MLS's 22 under 22 list, which ranks the league's best talents.
READ: Newcastle target out-of-favour Arsenal star ahead of January window
The league's website described the left-footer as making "the difficult look routine, whether it's spraying long balls, winning the ball in midfield, hitting line-splitting passes, or providing a timely goal. That profile has resulted in several England U19 call-ups, though the US are chasing his services too."
Noel Buck Highlights🤤pic.twitter.com/AsEfmTLEAS
— Sanjiv (@USMNTvideos) May 25, 2023
Buck to the Premier League?
Bogert revealed that Arsenal, Man City and Burnley are keen on securing Buck's signature and the teenager could be had for just $5m-$8m (£4.1m-£6.6m).
“The clubs that I have heard have been interested – and he has had a lot of scouts coming to watch him – are Arsenal, Burnley and Manchester City," Bogert said.
“He’s got an English passport as he is an England youth international currently on international duty with the country. There are a lot of English teams that are interested in him because of the domestic status."
READ: Why Jorginho could leave Arsenal for Barcelona in January
“There are some teams in Germany that are interested, but usually when an English team comes in, they usually have more money to spend, so we will see what happens when official bids comes in. I’m expecting something to be done in the $5m-$8m range and then it’s about what the best opportunity is for him."
“Do you want to push for a move to say an Arsenal and then take a loan to the Championship? Or do you want to go to a smaller club like Burnley and understand that you might not always be Premier League, you could get relegated. Those are the two pathway options.”
