Arsenal are monitoring Real Madrid attacking midfielder Cesar Gelabert, according to AS. The Madrid based newspaper reports that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has watched the 19-year-old “closely” in recent seasons.

Real’s Under 19s have played two games against English opposition in the UEFA Youth League over the past three years. Gelabert scored in the 3-2 defeat against Spurs in November 2017 during the group stages, and then played 90 minutes in the 4-2 loss to Chelsea in the quarter-finals a few months later

AS claim the games stuck in the memory for Arteta who was impressed by what he saw of Gelabert on both occasions.

Arsenal will face a battle to sign the teenager, though, with Lyon and Borussia Dortmund the two main rivals for the Spaniard’s signature.

Real have actually already rejected an offer from Lyon for Gelabert, with the La Liga giants seeing him as a promising player for the future. There will, therefore, be a number of obstacles to the Gunners getting their man.