Arsenal reportedly sent scouts to watch Porto star Andre Silva in action against Leicester City in the Champions League last week, according to O Jogo.
The Gunners are believed to have been tracking the 20-year-old for some time and were in place at the King Power Stadium as the Portuguese side went down 1-0 to Claudio Ranieri’s Premier League champions.
Silva joined Porto as a teenager in 2011 and has risen through the ranks to the first team. He has already been called up to the national team, making his debut in a friendly over Gibraltar in September.
The youngster had also been called up to Portugal’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and the Faroe islands this month but has been forced to withdraw due to injury.
The forward has already starred in the youth ranks for his country, scoring four goals in the Under-20 World Cup group stages before netting a hat-trick on his debut for the Under-21s.
Silva has five goals in nine appearances for Porto this season to help his side to second in the table just three points behind leaders Benfica after seven games.
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Arsene Wenger reportedly wants to be kept updated on the youngster’s progress and development at Porto. However, Silva is believed to have a release clause of £52 million after signing a new five-year deal at the club back in August.
While Silva clearly has huge potential Arsenal are well-stocked in the forward area particularly with Alexis Sanchez now revelling in a central role up front. The youngster’s massive release could also scupper any potential bid from the Gunners.
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