Dortmund set to make attempt to sign Arsenal starlet on free transfer

Borussia Dortmund are interested in recruiting Arsenal Under 23 winger Chris Willock, according to Tuttomercatoweb.

The 19 year old is out of contract this summer and the player has also been linked with moves to Manchester City and Celtic in recent days. Dortmund’s interest is not a surprise considering they have a recruited a sizeable number of young players in the last two to three years.

Teenagers such as Ousmane Dembele from Rennes for £12.75m, Emre Mor from Nordsjaelland for £8.3m, and Alexander Isak from AIK for £7.3m in January, are all examples of the club’s aggressive youth recruitment policy.

If Willock doesn’t sign a new deal with the Gunners, the club will risk losing the player for a tribunal fee. However if a foreign club like Dortmund does snap up the player, the compensation that Arsenal receive will be negligible, unlike a domestic transfer for a team signing an out of contract player below the age of 24.

Celtic signed Moussa Dembele on a free from Fulham last summer despite the Frenchman being just 19 at the time. This was due to the fact the move was classed as a foreign transfer.