Arsenal sent message as club director details £17.45m transfer bid for 'Balkan Barella'

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Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund will have scouts present in Sweden this evening to cast an eye over Red Star Belgrade's 17-year-old midfield prospect Vasilije Kostov in the Europa League against Malmo.

The promising Serbia international talent has already been capped once by his country following a stunning breakthrough campaign in his homeland which has seen him notch six goals in 24 appearances in all competitions.

Kostov, who has already found the target in Europe against Portuguese giants Porto, has been dubbed the 'Balkan Barella' and 'Serbian Pedri' due to his admirable technical quality. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football , Red Star Belgrade chief Zvezdan Terzic made it clear his side have already received concrete interest in the teenager as the race for his signature intensifies.

He said: "I can't talk about exactly who has called but we have already received an offer worth €20million (£17.45m) for him."

Terzic was then asked whether he feels Kostov has the required tools to feature in the Premier League , to which he replied: "Of course but not just any team, he could play for one of the big six clubs."

Mirror Football understands Bayern Munich are just one of the many sides to have contacted Red Star Belgrade to make enquiries.

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Who exactly made the bid remains a mystery but Arsenal are tracking the player and plan to put together a detailed scouting report for potential assessment.

The Gunners are striving to invest more cash in their youth set-up now Mikel Arteta boasts one of the best squads in all of world football.

In recent months, Arsenal have concluded deals for Ecuadorian twins Edwin and Holger Quintero, who arrive in August 2027 once they have turned 18, and Shamrock Rovers midfielder Victor Ozhianvuna, who joins next January.

Mirror Football reported earlier this week that the club are amongst a long list of elite European sides aware of 17-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Rafael Belinho , who plays in Croatia and is also being courted by Dortmund, Barcelona and Manchester United , respectively.

The current expectation is that Kostov will remain with Red Star Belgrade until the summer before moving onto pastures new with a January sale seemingly off the table.

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Former Derby midfielder Timi Max Elsnik also told Mirror Football when quizzed on his team-mate: "He is already very good and can be a player for the top level if he keeps progressing and developing."

Red Star Belgrade's academy set-up is highly respected across Europe and in recent years, the club has generated substantial cash through sales.

Last summer, Bournemouth swooped to sign centre-back Veljko Milosavljevic for £13m and RB Leipzig landed midfielder Andrija Maksimovic.

Prior to that, Aston Villa also signed full-back Kosta Nedlejkovic (currently on loan at Leipzig) for around £8m plus add-ons in January 2024.

There have been other sales too, including non-academy graduates. Centre-back Nasser Djiga moved to Wolves last January but so far, it hasn't worked out at Molineux and he's now on loan at Rangers.

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