Arsenal 'leading race for Red Bull Salzburg's Oscar Gloukh'

The 19-year-old announced himself to the world during last year's Under-19 European Championships, where he scored three goals and set up two more as Israel lost to England in the final.

Despite Israel's heartache at the hands of the Young Lions, Gloukh was honoured with a place in UEFA's Team of the Tournament and earned a move from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Salzburg in January.

The perennial Austrian champions - who are renowned for their development of young players - paid just €7m (£6.1m) to capture the playmaker, who won the top-flight title in his first half-season at the club.

Gloukh has begun the 2023-24 season with four goals and four assists from 20 matches across all tournaments and has made waves in the Champions League, netting against Benfica and Inter Milan.

Since shining for Israel's youth teams, the 2004-born starlet has earned three caps for his nation's senior squad, scoring three goals against Cyprus, Romania and Belarus, the latter two coming in Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Gloukh's contract with Red Bull Salzburg runs until the end of the 2026-27 campaign, but the teenager has inevitably been linked with moves to European clubs of a higher calibre owing to his steady progression.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been tipped to battle for the midfielder's signature, and according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Gunners are currently leading the charge.

Under Mikel Arteta, academy products such as Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe have all played important roles in the first team, while his management of William Saliba has also been heralded.

Gloukh could apparently become the latest high-profile youngster to ply his trade in red and white, but Arsenal would still face serious competition to land the Israel playmaker in the summer of 2024.

La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are also said to have been following Gloukh's displays, and the Salzburg man has supposedly indicated that he wants to represent the latter one day.

However, Carlo Ancelotti currently has Jude Bellingham, Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler available to him in the number 10 role, with the former and latter being signed in the most recent transfer window.

Given Smith Rowe's perpetual injury problems and Vieira's inconsistency, Arsenal have been left short of natural cover for captain and number 10 Martin Odegaard, who has now missed three games in a row with a hip injury.

Kai Havertz - a £65m summer signing from Chelsea - has started in his place on each occasion, but the German's performances have left a lot to be desired, and he has just one goal and one assist to show from his opening 19 games.

Vieira was also given a straight red card in Saturday's clash with Burnley, but the Portuguese's late dismissal had no impact on the result, as Arsenal strode to a 3-1 win to go second in the Premier League table above Tottenham Hotspur.