Arsenal are leading the race to sign Igor Tyjon, with Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael confirming the striker has turned down a new contract.
Arsenal have held an interest in Blackburn Rovers youth striker Igor Tyjon for a while now, making multiple bids in an attempt to sign him over the summer.
Rovers were keen to keep Tyjon and sign him to a professional contract, holding talks with the player and turning both of Arsenal’s bids down. But Rovers boss Valerien Ismael has now confirmed those negotiations have failed.
“We were in discussion with him to extend his contract. He decided not to extend his contract,” Ismael said last week.
“So for us, it’s clear that from 1st of January, he might leave the club. So that’s why we are focused now on the players who are for us, for the future.”
Football insider Hand of Arsenal reports that Arsenal are now looking to complete the signing and currently leading the race for the striker.
Sources close to the player confirm he has declined multiple new contract offers from Rovers, and his representatives reportedly informed the club of his desire to leave in a meeting this month.
According to the report, Arsenal’s biggest summer bid for Tyjon was worth around £2.2m, but a fee closer to £1m is now suggested as suitable. Tyjon’s scholarship deal is up in the summer, so this is Rovers’ last chance to negotiate more than the basic training compensation fee.
The 17-year-old has notched three goals and one assist in just three Premier League 2 appearances this season, as he’s struggled for minutes in light of his stance on a new deal.
Tyjon has at least had some chances recently though, playing in the FA Youth Cup win over Southampton and a Premier League Cup win over Watford, before making the bench for the Rovers first team against Charlton Athletic on Sunday.
But it looks as though that might just be a case of getting him back in the shop window after Rovers’ initial attempts to freeze him out failed to get him to extend his contract.