Arsenal are reportedly close to completing their first signing of the year after a quiet January transfer window. The Gunners were heavily linked with signing a striker at the turn of the year but did not make any new additions to their squad.
Ever since the January window closed, Arsenal have been linked with completing several new signings in the summer and appear close to completing their first deal of the year.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal are close to completing the signing of Callan Hamill from St Johnstone. The report claims that the Gunners have agreed a deal with the Scottish Premiership club, with a six-figure fee being finalised, which will also apparently include add-ons.
Hamill, 15, will reportedly link up with the Arsenal squad on July 1 when the deal officially goes through. The teenager will turn 16 in March, at which point he will be eligible to complete a transfer to England.
The report also claims that Hamill has been making trips to London Colney to link up with the Arsenal Under-18 squad. It has been stated in a separate report in The Sun that the teenager impressed former Gunners academy coach Jack Wilshere during his time training with the club, before the ex-Arsenal midfielder joined Norwich City as a first-team coach.
Hamill plays at centre-back for St Johnstone’s academy, having played a key role for the club’s Under-18 side this season. The 15-year-old is also capable of performing at either left-back or right-back, as well as in midfield.
Despite his young age, Hamill already has experience on the international stage. It was on Wednesday that the teenager scored for Scotland Under-16s in a win over Cyprus.
“It was a very proud moment for me and my family to score my first international goal for my country,” Hamill is quoted as saying via the St Johnstone club website after helping his country claim a 3-1 victory.
“A corner came in and I ran across the front post and attacked it and blasted it into the back of the next. It was an amazing feeling.”
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