Arsenal could be set to miss out on another highly-rated midfielder, with Schalke reportedly leading the race for Nantes’ Amine Harit this summer.

• Arsenal and Schalke are interested in the 20-year-old
• Nantes president Waldemar Kita said Harit would be allowed to leave

Harit had impressed for Nantes last season was drawing appreciative glances from Arsenal and Schalke. New Nantes manager Claudio Ranieri wanted to keep the youngster as a key piece of his midfield next season. However, club president Waldemar Kita has admitted that the midfielder will leave this summer.

“For me, no-one is going to leave,” Kita said, as quoted by Foot Mercato. “Except one because he is messing us around. We’re going to let him leave. Yes, Amine Harit. He’s leading us a merry dance. He sends me messages he has never written, messages he is made to write, by his agent, his parents … he doesn’t want to come back.

“What do you want to do? I didn’t want to sell him. When I talked with Ranieri, he told me he wanted to make him his No. 10. But he also told me, ‘If he leaves, he leaves.'”

Schalke look favourites to sign the midfielder after sporting director Christian Heidel admitted they were looking at the player. In addition to spending two weeks at the club during a trial in 2015, Harit was scouted by Arsenal last season and there was talk of the Frenchman coming to the Emirates.