Arsenal are seriously interested in 18-year-old Motor Lublin defender Bright Ede, according to local reports in Poland.
Tomasz Wlodarczyk reports for Polish outlet Meczyki.pl that Arsenal have been following Motor Lublin centre-back Bright Ede for weeks, and he’s now the subject of serious interest from the London club.
Arsenal aren’t the only Premier League club in the race, and there’s interest from around Europe as well. But the Gunners have been sending scouts specifically to watch Ede in recent matches.
Ede will reportedly be available for “a minimum of several million euros”, and there will definitely be concrete bids made for him in the summer. Arsenal see him as an investment for the future.
Up until January, Ede was playing in the Polish third tier with Zaglebie Lubin II, making his senior debut for the team in October. He caught the attention of Motor Lublin, who bought him for around €100k (£84.2k) in the winter window.
Just a couple of months later, the teenager made (and scored on) his Ekstraklasa debut, and he went on to appear in six of his new team’s final nine games of the season.
As well as his exploits at club level, Ede became a Poland u18 international in November, and he was involved with the side again in March.
It’s been a rapid rise for the youngster, and it’s evidently still very early days for his senior career. Even including his third-tier appearances, he’s yet to reach double figures for senior games.
Whether this summer brings a quick leap to Premier League football remains to be seen.