Arsenal Transfer News: Munir El Haddadi Won't Choose Gunners over Barcelona

Barcelona youngster Munir El Haddadi's modest release clause reportedly means Arsenal will attempt to lure him to the Emirates in January, but their chances of prying him away from the Catalan giants are a lot smaller than some may think.

The Daily Express' Jamie Anderson suggests a deal has already been made, as Arsenal will meet his £9.4 million release clause and the Spain international will choose the Premier League over his current club:

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Reports claim the Gunners have met Munir's release clause, and will wrap-up a deal for the coveted youngster in January. 

Though Barcelona want to retain their recently capped Spanish international, his lowly release clause means the player has full control over his future, and is likely to opt for the club who offers him regular first-team football.

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El Haddadi's rise to stardom has been an explosive one. The 19-year-old scored on his debut against Elche, after being given the starting spot following an impressive pre-season.

Just weeks later he was awarded his first cap for the Spanish team, making his debut against Macedonia. Things are moving fast for the youngster, and for good reason.

El Haddadi is a phenomenal talent. He's a natural scorer of the ball, has all of the athletic tools to shine in space and the quick feet and trickery to be successful in close quarters.

There's no denying El Haddadi took advantage of a unique opportunity with Barcelona—Luis Suarez is still ineligible to play, and Neymar returned from the 2014 World Cup nursing a back injury.

Pedro and Rafinha also haven't been at their best, and pundits like Anderson are now assuming the youngster will see his playing time decrease significantly once everyone returns to health and is eligible to play.

That doesn't necessarily have to be the case. Per WhoScored.com, El Haddadi has started every La Liga match for Barcelona so far, keeping Neymar on the bench against Athletic Bilbao (Neymar would score twice as a substitute, confirming he was healthy enough to play).

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Is El Haddadi going to start every match for the Blaugrana this season? Of course not. But Luis Enrique is not an idiot. He knows he has a special talent on his hands, and he's going to do whatever he can to make sure El Haddadi remains with Barcelona.

That means giving the youngster enough minutes, for starters. And judging by his rapid ascent in Barcelona's hierarchy, there's no reason to assume he wouldn't be deserving. His early showings have been more than promising, after all.

He only made his debut for Barcelona B earlier this year, and yet Enrique still trusted him enough to promote him to the senior team, over the likes of Adama Traore and Sergi Samper.

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Arsenal's pitch to the youngster would be that he would receive more playing time in north London, per Sanderson. But would that really be the case? He doesn't have the body type to play as a centre-forward in Arsene Wenger's setup, and the wide positions already feature plenty of talent for the Gunners.

Unlike what some fans might believe, a release clause doesn't mean a club can just buy a player for a set price. In this case, it means that Arsenal would indicate they'd be willing to offer the £9.4 million fee in a transfer, at which point the decision would be El Haddadi's.

The choice would be to stay with the club that has nurtured his development and given him every chance to establish himself as a contributing member of the senior side, well ahead of the normal trajectory, or choose the unknown in Arsenal.

The biggest issue for El Haddadi remains his contract—he's currently playing on a deal that was in place when he was a member of Barcelona B. But if it becomes clear Arsenal intend to go through with their plans, the Blaugrana won't hesitate to lock him up to a new deal, with a far better salary and a much higher release clause.

El Haddadi isn't Gerard Deulofeu—he has world-class potential, and he's showing it every time he steps out on the pitch. Barcelona have the common sense to recognise this as well, and make sure he remains with the Catalans for the foreseeable future.

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