Arsenal are reportedly set to battle Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of Barcelona starlet Xavi Espart, but the LaLiga giants have no intention of letting him leave on the cheap.

The 19-year-old left-back has emerged as one of the most exciting youngsters in Spain, and scouts from several top sides have been keeping tabs on his progress.

Espart has established himself as a key player for Barcelona this season, having made seven LaLiga appearances so far, contributing one goal and two assists in the process.

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal and Tottenham are ‘monitoring him closely’, though Barcelona are in a position to command a big fee for his services.

Barcelona recently tied Espart down to a new contract, which runs until 2030, and it includes a €100million (£84.3m / $122.4m) release clause.

Arsenal and Tottenham, meanwhile, have compiled ‘detailed scouting reports’ on the player, while Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are also said to be admirers of his.

While the €100m clause is in place, the suggestion is that a bid of €50million (£42.2m / $56.2m) could be enough to convince Barcelona to sell.

Arsenal in the mix to sign exciting Barcelona youngster

Arsenal’s main left-back this season has been Riccardo Calafiori, while Myles Lewis-Skelly has also been utlisied by Mikel Arteta.

But the London club appear open to adding another new player in the position, and that comes after there was speculation surrounding Lewis-Skelly’s future over the summer.

As for Tottenham, they signed a new left-back over the summer in Andy Robertson, though as a 32-year-old he isn’t a player for the long-term.

Roberto De Zerbi also has Destiny Udogie to call upon, and he started in Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Manchester United last time out.

Espart represents an exciting option for both clubs, but whether either side would be willing to splash out €50m or more to sign him from Barcelona remains to be seen.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen in other areas in January. They sold Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli in the summer, and are keen to add a new winger.

Reports suggest that RB Leipzig star Antonio Nusa is firmly on Arsenal’s shortlist ahead of the winter.

They are also open to adding a new midfielder, with TEAMtalk revealing earlier this week that Swedish starlet Oliver Mansson is a player they have been monitoring.