Arsenal ready to battle Chelsea & Barcelona for transfer of in-form attacker

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• Arsenal are the latest club linked with Leon Bailey
• Chelsea and Barcelona are also thought to be admirers
• Reports in Germany say the Gunners want Bailey this summer

Arsenal are reportedly the latest club showing an interest in the transfer of Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey for the summer, according to German source Kicker.

The 20-year-old looks one of the biggest young talents in Europe at the moment, having lit up the Bundesliga with his exciting displays this season.

Bailey has nine goals and five assists in all competitions so far this term and could be a useful signing for Arsenal as they’ve been weakened in attack this January.

Theo Walcott has left for Everton while Alexis Sanchez is closing in on a transfer to Manchester United, leaving the Gunners a little thin in the final third of the pitch.

Bailey could be a superb addition, particularly as reports earlier this season suggested other top clubs could also be in for him.

The Sun linked him with both Chelsea and Barcelona in a potential £20million transfer battle, though it seems likely his value will only have gone up since then.

Arsenal would do well to win the race for his signature ahead of those two big names, but may have some edge in the fact that Arsene Wenger has such a strong record of handing opportunities to young players and improving them.

Bailey may not get the same guarantees of playing time at Chelsea or Barca, particularly with the former being known for snapping up young talent only to then loan it out and sell it on for a profit later.

Chelsea made that mistake with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, all of whom are now shining for their rivals this season.