Arsenal are one of three clubs with an interest in Thiago Almada, and his current club Velez Sarsfield expect a team to pay his release clause this summer.

Mundo Deportivo report that Arsenal, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid all hold an interest in Velez Sarsfield 19-year-old Thiago Almada. The versatile winger/attacking midfielder has a contract until 2023, but a release clause of €22m (£19.2m).

This clause will increase from August 31st, becoming €25m. However, Velez Sarsfield don’t expect to reach that point, with all indications pointing to a top European club buying out the old clause before then.

Almada is a strong passer and dribbler with an excellent long-shot, though he is on the smaller side physically. The highly-rated youngster is up to 25 appearances for the current season, scoring five goals and assisting a couple.

After a poor start to the campaign, Velez are now as high as third in the table. Their recent rise up the standings coincided with regular starts for Almada, having mostly featured as a substitute up until late November.

Whether Arsenal can afford a near-£20m outlay on a teenager right now is another matter. If they structured the deal to pay it over multiple years, maybe. But finding that sort of money in cash in the current financial situation isn’t simple.