Arsenal are looking at alternative targets after missing out on the signing of youth striker Will Wright, with Blackburn Rovers’ Igor Tyjon among their options.
Arsenal had made a push to sign Will Wright from Salford City this summer, even agreeing a fee for the youth striker to join. Yet Wright ultimately opted to stay in the north west with Liverpool, giving the Gunners no choice but to move on.
Nizaar Kinsella reports for the BBC that Arsenal are now considering alternative targets to strengthen their academy team, with Igor Tyjon of Blackburn Rovers on that shortlist.
Arsenal have reportedly already made a bid of £1m plus add-ons for Tyjon, but it was turned down by Rovers. At the time, the reports suggested Rovers were open to a sale at the right price, with Manchester United also interested.
There’s been little progress since then, with the Gunners’ attentions seemingly turning towards Wright. But now that saga is at an end, perhaps they’ll revive their pursuit of Tyjon with another bid.
In the meantime, Rovers have stepped up their charm offensive to convince Tyjon to stay by including him on their pre-season tour, playing him in all four of their friendly matches. The striker even scored in a win over Qatar SC.
Speaking after that goal, Tyjon certainly didn’t sound like a player expecting to be on the way out imminently.
“It felt unreal to score for the first-team and I had a feeling I’d score the night before,” Tyjon said. “To get that first goal aged 17 is a great feeling and it’s nice to get it out of the way.
“It’s something you want to do as a kid, but it’s only pre-season so I want to replicate that in the regular campaign.”
Tyjon currently has a contract until the end of the 2025/26 campaign, but Blackburn Rovers are hoping to get him tied down to his first professional contract.
If Arsenal can’t agree a fee now, they could try to encourage the striker to run his deal down to make him available next summer.