Arsenal Targets Double Signing of Manchester United's Scanlon and Ogunneye
Arsenal’s youth overhaul is about to run straight through Manchester United.
The club are closing on a double deal for highly rated youngsters James Scanlon and Habeeb Ogunneye, with one move already at the medical stage and the other advancing quickly after positive talks.
Standard Sport understands Scanlon has become a serious target as Arsenal sharpen their focus on elite youth recruitment. Further discussions with United are planned, and there is confidence in north London that an agreement can be struck. Personal terms are not expected to be a problem.
The situation with Ogunneye is even further down the line. Arsenal have made a breakthrough and are set to sign the 20-year-old defender on a free transfer, with United inserting a 40 per cent sell-on clause into the deal. His medical is booked for Thursday and Arsenal are preparing to confirm the move over the weekend.
Ogunneye will initially link up with the club’s U21s, but the plan is clear: he will be given chances to train with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad and stake a claim in front of the manager and his staff.
Who is James Scanlon?
Scanlon is already a full international. The 19-year-old has been capped 24 times by Gibraltar, who he represents through his mother, and he has already written his name into UEFA history.
At 17 years and 346 days, he became the youngest goalscorer in UEFA Nations League history when he struck in a 2-2 draw against Liechtenstein in September 2024.
Born in Leicester, Scanlon is a versatile attacking talent. Primarily a winger comfortable off either flank, he can also operate as an attacking midfielder, drifting into pockets and linking play.
He came through the Derby County academy before joining Manchester United in February 2021. Within a year he had stepped up to the U18s, marking himself out as one to watch in their system.
The 2023-24 campaign marked his real breakthrough. Scanlon featured in the UEFA Youth League, earned minutes for United’s U21s and was called into first-team training by Erik ten Hag. His progress was rewarded in May 2024 when he signed his first professional contract.
His senior debut for United has not yet arrived, though he did make a matchday squad for the first time in March 2025, named among the substitutes for a Europa League tie against Real Sociedad.
To accelerate his development, United sent him on loan to Swindon Town for the second half of last season. Scanlon turned down interest from clubs across Europe to take that move, scoring once in six appearances as Swindon finished ninth in League Two, missing the play-offs by a single point.
Who is Habeeb Ogunneye?
Ogunneye’s journey has been a more traditional United academy story, but with a modern twist at international level.
The 20-year-old right-back was born in Hackney and came through United’s ranks, making his U18 debut at just 15. He is described as an attack-minded full-back who relishes getting forward, an increasingly non-negotiable trait for defenders at the top level.
Last season he took his first real step into senior football with a loan spell at Newport County. Ogunneye made 21 appearances in all competitions, picking up valuable minutes in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as well as in League Two.
One of those outings brought him face to face with his likely future employers. In the EFL Trophy last season, Ogunneye started for Newport against an Arsenal U21 side featuring Marli Salmon. On that night he conceded a penalty, converted by Andre Harriman-Annous to level the tie. Arsenal’s analysts will have taken note of far more than that single moment.
His progress has not gone unnoticed at international level either. Ogunneye stands at the centre of a tug of war between England and Nigeria, who he qualifies for by birth and heritage respectively. A final decision has not been announced, but England U21 head coach Lee Carsley has already earmarked him as a potential star for the future.
If Arsenal complete both deals as expected, they will not just have raided a direct rival’s academy. They will have added two young players already hardened by senior football, both stepping into a pathway that Arteta and the club hierarchy are determined to keep wide open.
