Barcelona are reportedly discussing a surprise move for Arsenal midfielder Miguel Azeez.
The 20-year-old is yet to make his mark with the Gunners' first team under Mikel Arteta and has also struggled to impress during loan spells with Portsmouth, UD Ibiza and Wigan Athletic.
After making 11 appearances for Ibiza during the first half of the 2022-23 season, Azeez joined then-Championship club Wigan but endured a forgettable period under Shaun Maloney.
The England Under-20 international featured in back-to-back games under Kolo Toure, but after the ex-Arsenal defender was given the boot at the end of January, he did not play another minute in a Wigan jersey.
Azeez departed in acrimonious circumstances too, as following Wigan's 1-1 home draw with Reading on April 29 - which sealed their relegation to League One - his father allegedly argued with Maloney on the field about his son's lack of game time.
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The midfielder has since returned to Arsenal, where he is under contract until 2024, but his career is at a crossroads, and he was not called up to Arteta's squad for their pre-season tour of the USA.
However, Sport claims that Barcelona could offer Azeez an escape route from North London, as the Blaugrana are keen to add the 2002-born midfielder to their youth department.
Despite the fact that Azeez remains under contract at Arsenal for another year, Barcelona are supposedly hoping to sign him on a free transfer by agreeing a sizeable sell-on clause with the Gunners.
Azeez is understood to be open to the move as he aims to find a manager who believes in his abilities, but he would join up with the B team upon his arrival in Catalonia.
Azeez joined Arsenal's academy at the age of five and was handed his first professional deal in 2019 under Unai Emery, but he has made just one appearance for his boyhood club thus far.
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The 20-year-old played seven minutes of a 4-2 win over Dundalk in the 2020-21 Europa League, while he has been an unused substitute on a further seven occasions under Arteta.
Following the captures of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz, Arsenal are now expected to prioritise outgoings for the next few weeks, having only offloaded three senior players so far.
Azeez's fellow Hale End graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles departed upon the expiration of his contract in June, while Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari have left for Bayer Leverkusen and Monza respectively.
Folarin Balogun, Nicolas Pepe, Cedric Soares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Auston Trusty and Alex Runarsson could also head for the exit door this summer, while Thomas Partey is only likely to be sold if an offer comes in that is too good to turn down.
Arsenal claimed their first win of pre-season on Wednesday night with a 5-0 thrashing of the MLS All-Stars and now turn their attention to Saturday's showdown with Manchester United in New Jersey.
Ben Knapton
