Arsenal competing with Barcelona and Bayern Munich to sign defender dubbed the next Matthijs de Ligt: Reports

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Juventus youngster Dean Huijsen, who has also garnered interest from Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The 17-year-old defender has been impressive in the Bianconeri and the Netherlands' youth setup. He has made 34 appearances for Juventus' youth sides and 12 for his nation's youth sides.

His dominant figure and ball-playing abilities have seen him being compared to Bayern Munich ace Matthijs de Ligt.

As per Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal are interested in signing Huijsen. Manager Mikel Arteta has built a young squad at the Emirates and he isn't hesitant in giving youngsters a chance as well.

He recently gave the 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri a substitute appearance in their game against Brentford. The midfielder also became the Premier League's youngest player of all time in the process.

However, if the Gunners are to sign Huijsen, they will have to compete with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The Blaugrana saw club legend Gerard Pique retire just before the FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo have been injury prone this season.

Huijsen joined Juventus' youth academy from Malaga's youth setup in 2021. His contract with the Bianconeri expires in the summer of 2024.

Interested clubs could wait until 2024 to sign him for free or sign him for a cut-short price in 2023. However, some reports claim that Juventus could look to extend the Dutchman's contract.

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Arsenal interested in signing Barcelona forward

As per journalist Dean Jones, the Gunners are looking to sign Blaugrana forward Ferran Torres in January.

Mikel Arteta was handed a big blow at the FIFA World Cup as Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee injury with Brazil and is set to be out of action until March. The striker, who joined the club from Manchester City in the summer, has registered five goals and seven assists in 20 games across competitions.

Jesus will be a big loss to Arsenal's plans but Jones told GiveMeSport that they are interested in Barcelona forward Torres in January. He said:

"They really like Ferran Torres, and they clearly believe he might become available because they inquired about him in the summer as well. So, if they’re sniffing around him again now, they sense that something’s up.”

Torres joined Barcelona from Manchester City for £55 million in January earlier this year. He has scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 44 games for the Spanish side.