Arsenal transfer news: Gunners face unexpected competition for 18-year-old attacker this summer?

Arsenal person reportedly been joined by Sunderland successful the contention for Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kerim Alajbegovic.

The Gunners are known admirers of the 18-year-old, who is preparing to instrumentality to the Toronto signifier connected Friday night, erstwhile Bosnia-Herzegovina play co-hosts Canada successful the archetypal lucifer of Group B astatine this year's World Cup.

Focusing connected the North-East of England for a moment, Sunderland person enjoyed an fantabulous instrumentality to the Premier League implicit the past year, comfortably avoiding a top-flight relegation battle.

Instead, Regis Le Bris's broadside competed successful the apical fractional of the standings for the immense bulk of the campaign, with a final-day occurrence implicit Chelsea astatine the Stadium of Light securing a seventh-placed finish.

As a result, the Black Cats person qualified for European shot for the archetypal clip successful 53 years and volition vie against continental giants successful the League Phase of the Europa League adjacent campaign.

Sunderland articulation Alajbegovic race?

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal person been joined by Premier League rivals Sunderland successful the contention for Bayer Leverkusen prima Alajbegovic, who is acceptable for a summertime of excitement connected the World Cup stage.

The teen was sold to RB Salzburg successful July 2025, however, aft an awesome run successful the Austrian Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen triggered a £7m buy-back clause successful the transportation agreement.

Alajbegovic is supposedly valued astatine conscionable nether £26m - a fig that could emergence dramatically depending connected whether the 18-year-old and Bosnia radiance astatine the World Cup implicit the coming weeks.

It is understood that Sunderland person made interaction implicit a imaginable determination for the attacker, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea besides named arsenic imaginable Premier League destinations for the player.

There is said to beryllium superior admirers of Alajbegovic elsewhere connected the continent, with Serie A giants Roma believed to beryllium a starring contender for the signature of the 10-time Bosnia international.

Sunderland swinging big

Just implicit a twelvemonth ago, Sunderland had mislaid 5 consecutive matches successful the Championship up of a playoff run which galore expected to extremity successful semi-final oregon Wembley Stadium heartbreak.

Instead, the Black Cats defied the likelihood and secured a long-awaited instrumentality to the Premier League pursuing an eight-year absence, beating a stunned Sheffield United broadside successful the playoff final.

Sunderland spent heavy past summertime and proceed to plaything large successful the transportation marketplace arsenic they look to physique a squad heavy capable to header with the demands of Europa League shot successful 2026-27.