Young Arsenal defender Ayden Heaven has confirmed his decision to ‘move on’ from his boyhood team ahead of a proposed switch to Manchester United.
Heaven, 18, joined Arsenal at the age of just eight and had been considered one of the shining lights of the academy while rising through the young ranks.
After putting pen to paper on a scholarship contract with the Gunners in 2023, Heaven was heavily involved with Mikel Arteta’s first-team throughout the club’s pre-season campaign last summer, along with Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
But United have been keeping tabs on Heaven’s progress for some time and widespread reports claimed Arsenal had been approached by their Premier League rivals over a possible bid for the centre-back last month.
Eintracht Frankfurt and Barcelona also held talks to sign Heaven in recent weeks, though United are the clear frontrunners and are believed to be on the cusp of winning the race for the teenager.
It’s understood Arsenal even offered Heaven a new contract in a bid to convince the youngster to stay, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
‘As the time has come for me to move on, I wanted to say how grateful I am to the good people at Arsenal who supported me during my time with the club,’ Heaven told his followers on Instagram this morning.
Heaven said he had ‘lived the dream’ across his decade-long stay with Arsenal, thanking fans for their support throughout that time.
‘As a North London boy, I lived the dream of training and playing at Hale End and London Colney, as well as making my professional debut in the League Cup,’ he added.
‘A big thank you too to Arsenal fans.’
More to follow.