Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in Marseille’s Lopez.
Olympique Marseille youngster Maxime Lopez has attracted interested from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in recent times, according to the Daily Express.
The Ligue 1 side are desperate to hold onto their talented 16-year-old, but fear that the lure of the Premier League will be too much for the teenager to resist.
Lopez is a product of the Marseille youth academy and has already played for the France under-19 national side, as well as impressing in the UEFA youth league.
The Frenchman doesn’t turn 17 until December – at which point the youngster can sign a professional contract at the Stade Velodrome – and the club fear that he will have already been tempted to make the switch to England by then.
Marseille will offer Lopez a five-year deal, with the promise of first team football and a wage increase after two years, but they cannot compete with the finances of the English quartet.
Lopez is a midfielder who generally operates on the right hand side, but can also play in the No.10 role behind the striker.
Both the Blues and City have a history of buying up young talent and then developing them through loan spells, although as yet there have been few that have made an impression on the first team.
As a manager who likes to nurture young, French talent Gunners boss Arsene Wenger could well be an attractive proposition for Lopez.
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