The £20m-rated wonderkid who could lure Arsenal, Aston Villa & Brighton into a fierce transfer battle

The summer transfer window may have closed, but scouts across the country are already busy on their next assignments – and several teams have reportedly had people watching a rising star of the Austrian league, including Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion.

A new report from TEAMtalk claims that all three Premier League teams have been monitoring 17-year-old midfielder Luca Weinhandl with an eye on a January transfer bid. But who is the youngster turning so many heads, and how likely is it that he ends up in England next year?

The teenage midfielder drawing transfer attention from the Premier League

The young box-to-box midfielder broke into the Sturm Graz first team last season and has swiftly gone from being a prospect to a regular starter, with his physicality and tireless work off the ball rapidly drawing attention from across the continent. He’s unlikely to be plying his trade in Graz for much longer.

Already an Austria Under-19 international with 26 caps at various age group levels, Weinhandl played at last summer’s Under-17 World Championship, helping his country to reach an unlikely final in Qatar – and impressing a number of watching scouts in the process.

Stood at 6’3” tall and blessed with both immense strength and an impressive turn of pace, Weinhandl’s physical gifts are already extraordinary, and he puts them to good use when pressing and hassling opposing midfielders – he is currently averaging over six forced turnovers per match, a number many more experienced players in his role would be envious of.

He’s also composed on the ball and has an air of immense maturity given his age. He’s increasingly reliable in one-on-one situations and has the positional sense of a player who has been doing this for considerably longer.

There are still times when his relative lack of experience can show, and he struggled at times in a recent Europa League game against Rennes – a performance which suggested that he isn’t quite ready for the top level of football just yet. But the potential is evident, and the interest that has followed him inevitable.

Will Arsenal, Aston Villa or Brighton sign Weinhandl this winter?

If TEAMtalk’s reporting is accurate, then Weinhandl may not be waiting too long for his big move – they claim that Arsenal have already made contact with Sturm Graz to establish the conditions for a transfer. The Gunners may have made the first move, but they won’t be the only team in the bidding. Not only have Villa and Brighton allegedly sent scouts to watch him, but VfB Stuttgart are among the German sides said to have taken an interest.

The report suggests that Graz would expect to receive around £20m for Weinhandl, a significant sum for a player with so little first-team experience under his belt but a figure which reflects the growing interest in his talents. The existence of an asking price doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be leaving this January, however.

It’s suggested that Weinhandl turned down a potential move to an unknown club this summer and that he’s in no hurry to move on given that he’s already getting first-team football in his home country. It may be that he prefers to prioritise his development over getting a short-term move to a bigger club. That he’s already getting European football under his belt probably helps.

Still, the interest appears to be very real even if the specific clubs following him are a matter of speculation – and if the youngster continues to progress at his current rate, he won’t be in Austria forever. Few midfielder in Europe promise as much as Weinhandl.