Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reportedly has his eyes set on Barcelona teenager Xavi Espart, who has confirmed that he is ready for a move to the Premier League.

The 19-year-old is the latest sensation to emerge from Barca’s famed La Masia academy, having featured on 14 occasions for Hansi Flick’s side.

With Real Madrid circling Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori, Arteta sees an opportunity to sign a player who could be Arsenal’s starting left-back for a footballing generation.

According to a TeamTalk report, both Arsenal and Liverpool are monitoring the teenager, who has a release clause of ‘well above €100 million’.

Espart shines against PSG

Espart’s readiness to move to Arsenal was confirmed during Tuesday’s Champions League clash against PSG. Although Barcelona suffered a 4-2 defeat to the reigning champions, Espart locked down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia impressively.

The Georgian, who left the field after an hour with a suspected ACL injury, struggled to have a telling impact against Espart, who himself was substituted with 15 minutes of the match remaining.

But the full-back, who is capable of playing on either flank, showed he is also capable of making an offensive impact, too. He scored Barca’s first after a powerful run forward. It was his second goal of the season while he also has two assists.

AS hailed his performance: “Stellar. He made his first start at right-back and did so with an overwhelming presence. He completely neutralised a player of Kvaratskhelia's calibre and even had time to get forward and score a fantastic goal, thanks to an excellent assist from Fermin.”

Espart may lack first-team experience, but with versatility, defensive strength and attacking output, he is already starting to look like the full package.

Barcelona seek to tie Espart down

Barcelona are naturally reticent to see such a talent leave. Espart is already under contract until 2030, and the Catalans would reject any offers for him.

However, they would be powerless to stop any approach that matched the youngster’s release clause. The size of this figure, however, is unclear. The broad agreement is that it is at least €100m.

Such has been the talent that Espart has shown in his early performances with Barca, that is already starting to look like a mouth-watering prospect for Europe’s biggest sides, and it may prompt the Catalans to reassess the player’s deal.

With the explosion of fellow La Masia target Pau Cubarsi in recent months, Barcelona have shown they are capable of producing top-level defenders readymade for the demands of first-team football.

Espart does not have the track record of the 19-year-old World Cup winner, whose Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €186m, but equally he will be seen as a more attainable signing due to his lower release fee.

Could Espart be Calafiori’s replacement?

If Arsenal were to lose Calafiori to Real Madrid for the type of ‘extraordinary fee’ they will demand for the 24-year-old Italian, it would be a logical step for them to turn their attention towards Espart.

The teenager already looks physically capable of coping with the demands of the Premier League, with his lockdown job on Kvaratskhelia all the confirmation that is required to indicate that he’s ready to make the move to North London.

Luring him away from Barcelona, however, promises to be a major challenge. If Arteta was to do this, however, the reward would be enormous.