Arsenal strike transfer agreement with Premier League rival as wonderkid makes decision

Arsenal youngster Dan Casey is due to join Crystal Palace. The 18-year-old turned down professional terms with the Gunners and is free to join a new club outside the transfer window.

London-born Casey, who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger, scored 22 goals in 33 league appearances for Arsenal’s Under-18s. He bagged three hat-tricks last season, with his form earning him three outings for the Under-21s in Premier League 2.

Arsenal are understood to have wanted to keep Casey, who played in the same XI as Max Dowman in his final game for the Under-18s. According to the News Shopper, though, the teenager is set for a Palace medical before linking up with the Eagles’ Under-21 side.

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Earlier in the window, Fabrizio Romano reported that Norwich were also keen on Casey, with Arsenal requiring a compensation package for the homegrown talent. Palace have won the race, though, with Casey’s arrival set to make up for the loss of young prospect Jesse Derry.

Derry, the son of former Palace midfielder Shaun, left Selhurst Park to join Chelsea over the summer. The England Under-19 international is already off the mark for his new club, scoring in a 5-0 Premier League 2 victory at Newcastle.

In January, Casey spoke about his admiration for Arsenal colleagues, including creators Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri. Despite growing up as a Liverpool fan, he said he has come to appreciate those players who he worked with more regularly in North London.

“When I was younger I was a Liverpool fan and loved watching Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho. But now, playing for Arsenal, I really look up to Odegaard. He’s a top player,” he told Arsenal club media.

“I’ve also taken great inspiration from seeing Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, who are in my scholarship group, making their first-team debuts. It’s so inspiring. Myles and Ethan have even been getting minutes in the Premier League and Champions League. It motivates me because if they can do it, so can I.”

Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri both got regular minutes last season, with the former also making his senior England debut. Heaven left Arsenal for Manchester United but has played Premier League and Europa League football since linking up with Ruben Amorim’s side.