Arsenal interested in teenage Valenciennes defender Ismaël Doukouré | OneFootball

Arsenal are interested in 17-year-old Valenciennes centre-back Ismaël Doukouré, according to reports in France, though they aren’t the only ones.

FootMercato report that Arsenal are one of the clubs with an eye on Ismaël Doukouré at the moment. They join Leicester City and RC Strasbourg in the race for the teenage Valenciennes defender.

RC Strasbourg are seemingly leading the race, having already made an approach to the player. But it looks like Arsenal are ready to provide competition for his signature.

Doukouré is under contract with Valenciennes until 2023, and he’s made himself a starter for the Ligue 2 club despite his age. After slowly working his way into their team throughout this season, he’s started their last six league games consecutively.

That form has also drawn interest on a national level, with Doukouré receiving a call-up from the France u19s over the current international break. He featured for the side in their recent friendly against Auxerre.

The centre-back is reportedly strong in individual duels and comfortable on the ball, receiving comparisons to a young Dayot Upamecano.

Arsenal had already been linked with Upamecano at the same age, we’ll see if they manage to get the job done this time.