Arsenal have been handed a major blow as academy star Charlie Patino is set to leave the club permanently this summer.
The teenager made his first team debut in the Carabao Cup last season, coming on and scoring in their 5-1 win over Sunderland before making his second and last club appearance in the FA Cup third round defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Patino then joined Blackpool this season on a season long loan deal, but it was clear that the Gunners still had high hopes for the 19-year-old, triggering a contract extension in December that tied him to the club until 2025.
However, as per the Athletic, Patino is not in Mikel Arteta’s plans for next season and he ‘prefers not to make another temporary move from Arsenal and is prepared to pursue his career elsewhere’, something which the north London club are said to be ‘receptive’ to.
Despite excelling for Blackpool this season in a tricky campaign for the Tangerines, Patino is unlikely to have played a large role given Arsenal’s new position in the top bracket of the Premier League, and is set to be pushed further down the pecking order as the Gunners look to add the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo to their ranks this summer.
It is unclear just how much Arsenal will demand for the ex-Luton town midfielder, but he may not be the only youngster departing, with striker Folarin Balogun thought to be in the same boat following an excellent season on loan with French side Stade De Reims.
