Arsenal 'scout wonderkid compared to Muller' as Arteta considers January move

Arsenal have reportedly scouted American wonderkid Rokas Pukstas ahead of a possible move to the Premier League giants.

The 19-year-old, who has represented the USA at under-20 level, has caught the eye of a number of Europe's leading clubs with his impressive performances for Hajduk Split in Croatia this season.

Pukstas was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma to a family of Lithuanian athletes and came through the youth ranks at Sporting Kansas City. He also spent time at Barcelona's academy in the USA before moving to Europe.

He has quickly risen through the ranks at the Croatian club and scored in Hajduk's UEFA Youth League semi-final win over AC Milan last season.

This season, he's managed to become a regular in the first team and has even been compared to Bayern Munich and Germany legend Thomas Muller, thanks to his ability to get into goal-scoring positions inside the penalty box.

Now the Gunners are reportedly monitoring his progress ahead of a possible transfer to north London.

A report in Croatian outlet Slobodna Dalmacija revealed that Arsenal scouts were going to be in attendance for Hajduk game last week.

Pukstas caught the eye with an impressive performance as Hajduk ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

He only signed a new contract with Hajduk last month that is due to run until 2027 but he is unlikely to stay for that long.

Currently valued at around €3million ($3.2m), a deal would represent a small outlay for the Gunners.