Who is Konstantinos Karetsas? Arsenal in talks to sign £38m 'Greek Messi'

Reports suggest that Arsenal are close completing the signing of Konstantinos Karetsas for a cool £38million and the Gunners would be getting one of Europe's most coveted wonderkids

It's not every day you sign a player compared to Lionel Messi but Arsenal could be about to do just that. Konstantinos Karetsas, who's just 17, is reportedly the subject of transfer talks between the Gunners and Belgian giants Genk, his hometown club.

So, why is he called the 'Greek Messi'? Let's deal with the first part, as Arsenal close in on a £38million agreement. Karetsas was born in the city of Genk and represented Belgium at international level up until the under-21s.

But Greek football chiefs had their eyes on him, as both of his parents are from the north of the country and he'd shown a willingness to switch allegiances. Ahead of their Nations League play-off against Scotland in March, FIFA approved the change and Karetsas won his first cap, admitting that he'd 'always have had Greece in the back of his mind' if he'd have chosen Belgium.

His second appearance was one to remember, scoring Greece's second goal in a 3-0 drubbing at Hampden Park to earn promotion to League A. Karetsas bagged a goal on his first appearance for Genk after the international break and remained a regular starter until the end of the campaign, as their title charge fell away.

Primarily an attacking midfielder, the diminutive playmaker has drawn lofty comparisons to Messi thanks to his fleet-footed dribbling and creative qualities. Like the Barcelona legend, Karetsas enjoys cutting in from the right-hand side and using his left foot to dazzle defenders.

The 17-year-old grew up watching clips of fellow Barca icons Ronaldinho and Neymar which influenced his playing style. At 5ft 7in, his low centre of gravity allows him to stay balanced when slaloming through the opposition.

Karetsas scored three goals and supplied three assists in his first full season for Genk, who he rejoined in 2023 after a three-year spell with Anderlecht. Now the 2007-born prodigy is set to leave Genk for a second time, although he could've left two years ago when Manchester City, AC Milan and RB Leipzig all invited him to tour their facilities.

His dad, Vaios, told Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws: "We thought it was too early for a move abroad. RB Leipzig, Milan and even Manchester City invited us several times to come and have a look. We didn't like it.

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"The only team outside Genk where we had discussions was Ajax. Purely because it is close by and we have a lot of respect for that club. That was just one conversation. The second would be about sporting and financial matters, but we had already given our word to Genk at that time."

Karetsas has been patient and stayed closer to home, but don't doubt his ambition. "I aim for the very top," he declared in an interview with DAZN earlier this year.

Arsenal will hope to guide him there.