Arsenal are hoping to bolster their ranks with the seize of one of many brightest younger skills in world soccer.
Konstantinos Karetsas is the following famous person rising from a Genk academy that counts Kevin De Bruyne, Leon Bailey, and Thibaut Courtois amongst its well-known alumni.
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The 17-year-old solely made his senior debut for the Belgian aspect a 12 months in the past, however has rapidly established himself as a key determine within the crew.
Karetsas has scored three targets and registered 4 assists in 39 appearances as Thorsten Fink’s aspect received the Belgian Professional League.
The midfielder additionally received the objective of the season within the nation’s prime division for his long-range strike towards Gent.
Karetsas, who was born in Belgium to Greek dad and mom, represented the Pink Devils at youth stage earlier than making his senior worldwide bow with Greece in March.
He defined: “If I had performed for the Pink Devils, I might all the time remorse that I might by no means have the ability to play for Greece. I really feel actually Greek. My coronary heart beats just for Greece, my homeland fulfils me fully.”
Karetsas grew to become the Euro 2004 winners’ youngest ever scorer in solely his second look, discovering the online in a 3-0 win over Scotland.
Based on Greece’s information company AMNA, Arsenal are actually ‘very shut’ to reaching an settlement with Genk over a deal value €45million (£37.8m).
Ought to or not it’s agreed, it will make the diminutive playmaker the most costly 17-year-old in historical past – beating the £30m Borussia Dortmund paid to signal Jude Bellingham from Birmingham in 2020.
The report provides that the Gunner’s plan is to mortgage Karetsas again to his boyhood membership, Genk, for an additional season to help his growth.
Mikel Arteta would then look to draft {the teenager}, whose present contract runs till 2027, into his squad subsequent summer time.
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Karetsas, having been born within the small metropolis of Genk in 2007, wasn’t alive when Greece shocked European soccer three years earlier.
As a schoolboy, he joined native aspect Racing Genk earlier than a two-year spell within the Belgian capital, with Brussels giants Anderlecht at age 13.
Karetsas’s return to Genk in January 2023 sparked criticism within the native press that the way forward for such a expertise hadn’t been secured.
“The 15-year-old participant, who’s one among Belgium’s best hopes, has determined to depart Neerpede,” wrote Le Soir three months prior.
“Skills akin to [Rayane] Bounida and [Chelsea’s Romeo] Lavia had just lately left for main international golf equipment, towards which Belgian soccer can not compete, however right here, it is a departure to a different Belgian membership.
“That is the toughest factor to digest for Sporting, which should now additionally face home competitors for its most promising skills.”
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That September, Karetsas grew to become the youngest debutant within the historical past of Belgian skilled soccer for second-tier Jong Genk.
Not content material with making only one headline, he even bagged the profitable help throughout a 1-0 victory towards Beveren.
Karetsas’ kind noticed him fast-tracked into the senior set-up, with a bunch of prime golf equipment thinking about his providers final season.
His father, Vaios, informed reporters in Might 2024: “RB Leipzig, Milan and even Manchester Metropolis invited us a number of occasions to return and take a look. We did not prefer it.
“The one crew exterior Genk the place we had discussions was Ajax. Purely as a result of it’s shut by and we’ve got loads of respect for that membership. That was only one dialog.
“The second can be about sporting and monetary issues, however we had already given our phrase to Genk at the moment.”
