Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 6y

Arsenal set to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Yacine Adli - source

Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate Yacine Adli is set to become Unai Emery's first signing for Arsenal, a source close to the French club has told ESPN FC.

According to the source, Adli will sign an initial three-year contract with Arsenal after rejecting a better offer, on paper, from PSG.

Adli, 17, was being tracked by Arsenal's head of recruitment Sven Mislintat as early as March, when a source close to PSG revealed that Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich were also keen, but he was expected to sign professional terms in Paris until recently.

Emery has helped to persuade the midfielder to leave Parc des Princes for Emirates Stadium, just weeks after handing him his senior professional debut towards the end of a goalless Ligue 1 draw away at Caen.

The France youth international is highly rated at PSG and they have been trying to persuade him to sign professional terms for months, but like Manchester City-bound Claudio Gomes, they have failed to convince him and now the teenager is set to reunite with Emery in London.

Adli, like Gomes, was unconvinced by PSG's future plans for him, while Emery and Mislintat's promise of significant game time, long-standing interest and good relationship with agent Moussa Sissoko swung the player in their favour.

His eight minutes as a substitute in Caen look likely to remain his sum total at professional level with *PSG*, who have lost another *highly rated young player* for a nominal fee.

New PSG coach Thomas Tuchel has already demanded an in-depth look at the youth academy and following this latest setback, *ESPN FC has been told that* sporting director Luis Fernandez is likely to face some serious questions.

Elsewhere, Tuchel's backroom team continues to take shape with former RB Leipzig assistant manager Zsolt Low and long-time collaborator Arno Michels joining the German in Paris.

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