Manchester City look set to attempt to raid Arsenal for yet another of their young stars.
Manchester City hope to lure Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson to the Etihad Stadium, according to a story in the Daily Mirror.
The 21 year-old right back has begun to offer Bacary Sagna realistic competition for a place in the first team this season, making 19 Arsenal appearances to the Frenchman’s 20 so far in the current campaign.
Jenkinson’s impressive form for the Gunners has resulted in call-ups to the England national team, and although he possesses English and Finnish parentage, he gained his first England cap in a friendly against Sweden in November 2012.
However, there have been frequent indications that Jenkinson is not ready to be first choice right back at one of the biggest teams in the country.
He gets caught out of position much more often than Sagna, and has shown elements of naivety on the field – most notably when sent off for two yellow cards against Sunderland in a Premier League fixture at the Stadium of Light in February.
The potential is clearly there though, and the Gunners clearly recognise that, rewarding Jenkinson with a new contract earlier this season.
Whilst Bacary Sagna has been the best right back in the league for a number of years, Pablo Zabaleta has arguably now overtaken him for the crown this season, and would be a quality player to act as a mentor for Jenkinson should he move.
Nevertheless, it would be a surprise if the deal went through, for Jenkinson is a renowned Arsenal fan since his youth – even having a stone in place at Armoury Square with a message to his grandfather.
With Arsenal having sold the likes of Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City in recent years, Gunners fans will hope Jenkinson doesn’t become the latest to make the switch.
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