The Athletic: Man Utd close to agreement with Arsenal for player, he was spotted at Old Trafford last wk | OneFootball

Arsenal defender Ayden Heaven is close to leaving the club after attending Old Trafford to discuss terms with Manchester United and watch their Europa League game against Rangers last week, according to The Athletic.

The Gunners have offered the 18-year-old a professional deal, but he is considering his options as he looks to take the next step in his development.

A move for Heaven to leave Arsenal for Man United’s academy is progressing well, with the Red Devils close to an agreement with the North London club for a modest fee, due to his scholarship terms expiring at the end of 2024-25.

The teenager has played for the Gunners first-team and regularly trained with them, making his senior debut on 30 October 2024 away at Preston North End in the Carabao Cup after he was included on the bench for the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in September.

Heaven joined Arsenal at 12 and has trained with the first-team since 2023-24, becoming heavily involved with the senior team training during the 2024 summer pre-season.

He signed a scholarship contract with Arsenal in the summer of 2023 and was part of the scholarship intake which also included the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Heaven is now heading to Man United from the look of things and will be reuniting with Chido Obi-Martin, who swapped the Gunners for the Red Devils in the last summer transfer window.

The Denmark youth international striker did not get to play for the Arsenal first-team like Heaven, but he has started training with the Man United first-team and could be edging closer to a debut.

It appears Heaven believes his chances of becoming a first-team regular going forward lie away from the North London club, and he already has his mind made up about joining the Old Trafford club.

Arsenal will now hope they can prevent more of their talented academy graduates from leaving going forward having lost a few in recent months.