MU raid Arsenal for wonderkid Ayden Heaven as star bid Gunners farewell

Manchester United have completed the signing of Arsenal wonderkid Ayden Heaven.

Heaven said: "I am incredibly proud to join Manchester United. I'm grateful to everyone who helped make this dream a reality. There is so much that I want to achieve in the game, I'll be giving everything to continue my development and become the best player that I can be."

Just before his move to Old Trafford was announced, Heaven took to Instagram to pen an emotional farewell to the Gunners. He had been with the London side since the age of eight and expressed his gratitude to the club.

"As the time has come for me to move on, I wanted to say how grateful I am to the good people at Arsenal who supported me during my time with the club," he wrote.

"As a North London boy, I lived the dream of training and playing at Hale End and London Colney, as well as making my professional debut in the League Cup. A big thank you too to Arsenal fans."

Heaven only penned a scholarship contract with Arsenal in 2023 and was then heavily involved with Mikel Arteta’s first-team throughout pre-season. But United have been keeping tabs on the centre-back's progress for some time.

They made their move last month, approaching Arsenal over a possible bid for the teenager. A deal has now been wrapped up, with Heaven now moving north.

In a statement announcing the move, United expressed their pleasure at Heaven's arrival. They confirmed he has signed a four-year deal and will now immediately join Ruben Amorim's first-team squad.

He made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup win over Preston North End earlier this season, though has otherwise been an unused sub for the Gunners' first-team. And United technical director Jason Wilcox is delighted to have pulled off the coup of signing a rival's wonderkid.

“We are delighted that Ayden has joined Manchester United. He is already an extremely talented defender who is ready to join our first-team squad in order to maximise his development," Wilcox said.

“This club has a phenomenal track record of supporting young players and we believe that Ayden is in the perfect place to reach his excellent potential.”