Sesko alternative? Romano hands Arsenal boost in battle for 32-goal striker

Tom Weber

• Updated: 11 Jun 2024 13:38 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal still have hope of retaining prolific youngster Chido Obi-Martin, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 16-year-old Danish sensation has been one of the most prolific strikers in English academy football in recent months. Back in April, the U18 star netted seven against Norwich City. Last year, Obi-Martin scored ten in a game against Liverpool for the U16s.

Coming off a season in which he netted 32 times for the U18s, the wonderkid is unsurprisingly in demand. Arsenal face the issue that the youngster can't sign a professional contract until he turns 17 in November.

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FootballTransfers revealed in May that Mikel Arteta and company had presented Obi-Martin with a clear pathway to the first team, beginning with integration into the senior squad in the upcoming pre-season.

This was done in a bid to fend off interest from the likes of Real Madrid and PSG. Fresh reports in recent days appeared to suggest that Arteta had failed to convince the 16-year-old and that he is now in advanced talks with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, with Borussia Dortmund and Ajax also keen.

Romano on Obi-Martin

However, according to Fabrizio Romano and the Evening Standard, Obi-Martin's future is still open. “Despite some talks of Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin now being in advanced negotiations with Bayern Munich, I’m told the situation with Obi-Martin is still open,” Romano told CaughtOffside.

“Bayern and Borussia Dortmund have been showing interest in the talented young striker for months, but Arsenal are still there and still trying to get him to sign a new contract and keep Chido at the club. Let’s see what happens in the next days.”

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It seems hope is not lost for the Gunners, who will be desperate to keep the precocious forward seeing as though they have just missed out on top target Benjamin Sesko. If they can keep Obi-Martin around and he goes on to fulfil his potential, he could save them millions.