Arsenal set to enter ‘auction’ for 16-year-old they could have signed for €30m

Arsenal are reportedly scouting 16-year-old Genoa forward, Pietro Pellegri, despite missing out on signing him for €30m in the summer.

Pellegri’s rapid rise at Genoa has allegedly attracted the attention of the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, with Tuttomercatoweb reporting that the Gunners were scouting the 16-year-old during the Serie A side’s match against Chievo Verona this week.

Calcio Mercato (via Sport Witness) are even claiming that there will be an ‘auction’ for the youngster.

The stinker, however, is that Arsenal could have signed him for €30m in the summer; €15m for an initial fee and up to €15m in bonuses. He almost signed for Inter but the deal fell through so the coast was clear for the Gunners to make their move for a similar amount. Obviously, they didn’t. Now, he’ll allegedly cost far more given the form he’s currently in.

Despite his age, Pellegri has already established himself in Genoa’s first team. He’s made two Serie A appearances this season in which he’s scored twice and featured three times last term. The teenager even appeared in the Italian team’s final clash of the season against Roma and scored.

The Italy youth international has been capped 13 times for the u17s and scored once in the u17 Euros against Turkey.

He’s got two years left on his contract.