Arsenal u18 forward Khayon Edwards is stalling on a professional contract with the club, with his current deal expiring in the summer.

Arsenal Youth report that Arsenal offered Khayon Edwards a professional contract several months ago, but he still hasn’t signed it.

As things stand, Edwards is on a scholarship deal, which expires next summer.

The striker has 14 goals and three assists for the Arsenal academy this season. Only Folarin Balogun has been directly involved in more goals between the u18s and the u23s.

There’s no information on why Edwards hasn’t signed a deal yet, but it’s likely to relate to how little he’s been involved in the u23s.

Edwards is now 18 years old, just narrowly young enough for u18 FA competitions this season. If he’d been born a fortnight earlier, he would already be too old.

As a result, the striker is mostly competing against players who are younger than him. He’s doing it very well, as the second-top scorer in the 2021/22 u18 Premier League, but it’s understandable if he feels he’s ready for the step up.

Edwards has made occasional steps up to the u23/u21 sides. For a start, he made a couple of pre-season starts against Bromley FC and Ebbsfleet United, scoring against the latter.

In competitive fixtures, he assisted a goal in the EFL Trophy against Newport County, and he scored one in the Premier League Cup against West Bromwich Albion u23s.

The striker appears to be showing he’s capable of stepping up, but he has Folarin Balogun and Mika Biereth ahead of him in the u23s.

A loan for Balogun could help open up a spot for Edwards, which may in turn aid Arsenal’s attempts to tie him down to a new deal.