Arsenal miss out on signing of France Under 18 international

Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara has signed his first professional deal with the club, ending speculation about his future.

French newspaper L’Equipe reported that Arsenal, Schalke and FC Cologne were all looking to snap up the 17 year old but the centre back has opted to remain in France, with a deal keeping him at the Ligue One club until 2020.

Kamara was given his first team debut by manager Rudi Garcia back in December. He started at right back in the French League Cup last 16 tie against Ligue Two side Sochaux. He was substituted on 82 minutes, and with the score remaining 1-1 after extra time, Marseille crashed out of the tournament after losing out 5-4 in a penalty shootout.

The centre half has also garnered recognition at international level, having played eight times for France with the under 18s level since making his debut back in September last year. He had previously been a regular in France’s Under 17 setup as well.