Football teams are interested in Mali youth international midfielder Baye Coulibaly. Arsenal is one of them.

Last year, the 18-year-old became famous when he played great for the underdog Mali U17s team at the World Cup. They scored three goals against Argentina in a 3-0 win, which helped them finish in third place.

When that happened, Coulibaly filled in as an emergency center back for his country. Since then, he has established himself as a defensive midfielder. He played for Mali U20s in last month’s Africa Cup of Nations and was named man of the match in their 0-0 draw with Gambia.

The teenager was signed by NK Kustosija in Croatia. The club is known for finding young talent and pushing them to play for bigger teams in Europe. 

Dino Klapija, a 17-year-old scorer who was wanted by Manchester United, was sold to Red Bull Leipzig last summer. They also sold Senegalese prospect Mikayil Faye to Barcelona, but Rennes bought him back in August for £12 million.

Arsenal was also interested in Faye, but they had to put other needs ahead of spending money in the summer.

That hasn’t stopped them from being interested in Coulibaly, though, and they’re not the only ones.

Red Bull Salzburg and Girona, both from the Champions League, have also made inquiries. Getafe, from La Liga, has made the first offer as they try to get ahead of rivals in January.

The Madrid-based team, on the other hand, is thought to be short on Kustosija’s price, with top potential Coulibaly priced around £5 million.