Arsenal are leading the race to sign highly rated Benfica starlet Goncalo Guades who is touted as the next ‘Franck Ribery’and has earned quite a reputation in his time at the Portuguese club, according to the Express.

The Gunners are always on the lookout for new talent, and the club have spread their network of scouts all over Europe and other parts of the world. Each potential talent is followed and his progress is monitored by club representatives over months of reports sent back to the club. Players like Jack Wilshere who are not academy products at the London based outfit have been scouted for several years before being signed eventually.

Guades began his career at the Benfica youth academy in 2005 and was immediately recognised as a potential player for the senior team. This year, the attacker was given an opportunity to play for the Benfica B team, and represented the side on 10 occasions. He was then given the chance to play for the senior team, and made his debut on October 18th against S.C. Covilhã. The player will turn 18 next month, and Arsenal will look to sign him up on a permanent contract this coming January. However, Arsene Wenger will face competition from Bayern Munich, where Pep Guardiola is assembling a new set of youth talents for the future and likes the young attacker.