Report: Arsenal table bid for 17-year-old wonderkid striker – they want him and Gyokeres

According to The Athletic, Arsenal are targeting Blackburn Rovers’ 17-year-old forward Igor Tyjon as part of their wider plans to strengthen the club’s academy this summer. The teenager made his senior debut for the Championship side last September and has since attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs.

If Arsenal win the race for his signature, Tyjon would initially join the club’s Under-21 setup. But with Mikel Arteta’s emphasis on youth development and a pathway to the first team clearly established, a move to London Colney could set Tyjon on a trajectory towards top-flight football.

It was notable last season that when first team injuries struck, no academy prospect was ready to step up. Tyjon, with some development, could take that role.

While Gyökeres would provide an immediate impact in Arsenal’s frontline, the Swede is 27 — opening a future window for a younger striker to emerge in the years ahead. Arsenal have seen success in blending experienced signings with internal development, and Tyjon could be the latest to benefit from that approach.

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The Gunners’ academy has already produced the likes of Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Emile Smith Rowe in recent years, and the club appears determined to maintain that pipeline of elite youth talent with an assigned budget for academy arrivals this summer.

Bringing in someone like Tyjon, who already has senior experience under his belt before turning 18, signals a clear intent to identify and invest in the next wave of stars. There have been some reports that a £1million offer has been declined, but a deal could be struck for not much more.

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