According to recent reports, Arsenal are interested in 17-year-old central defender Boubacar Kamara.

The highly-rated youngster is yet to sign professional terms with Marseille over in Ligue 1 and this has prompted speculation about the teenager’s future, having burst onto the scene for L’OM’s youth academy.

Who is Boubacar Kamara?

Boubacar Kamara, who turned 17 on Wednesday last week, has been playing alongside the likes of talented young duo Alban Lafont (Toulouse) and Malang Sarr (OGC Nice) at international youth level in recent months.

Given his u18 debut for France at the start of September, Kamara has shown flashes of individual brilliance with a number of qualities that are impressive to watch from a young defender.

Comfortable in possession with the ability to spray long passes forward, Kamara uses spatial awareness to cover defensive gaps quickly whilst pressing opposition players effectively.

He is yet to make the breakthrough into the senior side for a number of reasons, namely due to the overload of personnel in the squad at the moment – one that new boss Rudi Garcia has to assess with the upcoming January window edging closer.

A first professional contract for Kamara is believed to be high on Marseille’s priority list, with the estimated length roughly three years.

Given the level of interest in his services from top European clubs, it’s a smart decision and one that will keep interested suitors away for the time-being.

The lure of a team like Arsenal could be too good to refuse, but given the fact that Kamara was born and raised in Marseille, it seems unlikely that he’d want to leave his surroundings in the immediate future.