Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Crystal Palace youngster Mylo Bernard on a training compensation deal, according to The Athletic.
The Gunners are once again dipping into the academy market, with Premier League clubs increasingly targeting young players from rival academies before they have the chance to put pen to paper on professional contracts.
Arsenal have already raided north London rivals Tottenham this summer for Elijah Upson, and Bernard now looks set to become the latest highly rated youngster to make the move to the Emirates.
For clubs like Palace, these situations are becoming increasingly frustrating.
Academies can spend years developing young players, only for a Premier League rival to swoop in when their schoolboy registration expires. Without a professional contract in place, there is little a club can do to prevent a player from moving on, with the buying club instead paying a relatively small training compensation fee.
That appears to be exactly what has happened with Bernard.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign the 16-year-old forward from Crystal Palace this summer. His schoolboy registration has expired, allowing him to leave Palace and join Arsenal on a training compensation deal.
And this isn’t simply a case of Arsenal signing an unknown academy player.
Bernard is an England Under-16 international and primarily operates as a centre-forward, although he is also capable of playing on either wing. Despite his age, he was already getting opportunities with Palace’s Under-18s last season.
He certainly made his mark.
Bernard scored a second-half hat-trick as Palace’s Under-18s came from behind to beat Reading 4-2, underlining the kind of attacking potential that has apparently caught Arsenal’s attention.
The Gunners have made no secret of their desire to build a strong academy pipeline, and signing players like Bernard is another example of that strategy in action.
From Palace’s perspective, however, it will be a frustrating outcome. They have helped develop a young England international who was already playing above his age group, only to see him potentially walk away before the club could secure him on professional terms.
For Arsenal, though, this is precisely the sort of opportunity they will be looking to exploit.
Bernard is only 16, so there is obviously a long way to go before anyone can say whether he will eventually make the grade at senior level. But an England Under-16 international already competing with an Under-18 side and scoring hat-tricks is certainly enough to suggest there is plenty to work with.
Arsenal will hope they’ve found another academy gem.
Palace will simply hope the next one doesn’t get away.
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