Arsenal are reportedly keeping an eye on Mechelen froward, Hassane Bandé.

Arsenal, as well as Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal, PSV, Ajax, PSG and Benfica, are said to be interested in signing Bandé in January.

The 19-year-old only signed for Belgian side Mechelen this summer and has two years left on his contract. Therefore, it seems unlikely that his new club would allow him to leave so soon. Although if someone come in and offered to throw a large sum of money at them, they might be unable to say no.

The original report comes from Het Laatste Nieuws, which has been relayed by Estadio Deportivo. It’s important to note that Arsenal aren’t actually mentioned in the first one.

Bandé is having a great season so far, scoring eight in 10 appearances in the Jupiler Pro League and one in their domestic cup, Beker van Belgie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skS_pJMkhr8

The left winger is yet to feature for his country, Burkina Faso.

So, why are Arsenal being linked now if they weren’t in the original report? One explanation is the Gunners are known for developing young African talent, so if you’re going to pluck a plausible club that Bandé could theoretically join out of the sky, Arsenal would be a logical guess. It also means that while most people won’t have heard of the teenager, it suddenly makes him look very promising.

I could be wrong though. For all I know, we genuinely are hoping to sign him.

Feature image credit: Africa Top Sports