Hassane Bandé is close to moving to Ajax from KV Mechelen for around £8.5m, snubbing any interest from Arsenal in the process.

Bandé, who is 19 years old, has been impressing in the Belgian first division.

KV Mechelen are 15th in the table, but Hassane is the league’s joint-top scorer, notching eight in the Jupiler Pro League this season.

Journalist Sjors van Veen reported that the Dutch club are on the verge of securing Bandé’s signature next summer, warding off interest from the Gunners, Manchester United and PSV.

He’s been in good form this season, having scored a goal in the Belgian Cup, and managing an assist on Saturday as his team got their third win of the season against Genk.

Hassane only became an Burkina Faso international last month, when he was given his debut in their World Cup qualification campaign. He can both score and create goals, and is expert at beating his opponent in one-on-one situations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOSuPX9U1p4s

We reported Arsenal’s interest in the player last month, but it seems Wenger is set to miss out on the youngster.

Not for the first time this season the Gunners have lost out on Belgian-based talent, having seen Henry Onyekuru snub Arsenal and sign for Everton in the summer.