Arsenal are now increasingly confident of keeping teenage midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The North London club have been in talks to convince the 16-year-old to agree scholarship terms before his schoolboy registration runs out on Friday.
Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history when he came on against Brentford last September.
Chelsea and Manchester City were keeping tabs on his contract situation but a new deal has almost been agreed between the teenager and Arsenal.
Holding on to Nwaneri would be huge for the Gunners as he is widely regarded as one of the best youngsters in the land
The England under-17 international has superb vision and understanding of the game, and Arsenal have a rare gem on their hands.
He featured regularly for the under-21s last term and could see more first-team action next term.
Arsenal have tried to map out a pathway for him to the first team and have made him an attractive offer.
Academy manager Per Mertesacker, manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu all stepped in to try to convince Nwaneri to remain at the club, and it appears they have succeeded.
