Super Eagles and Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze has revealed that he was in talks to join Arsenal, a London-based club, shortly after the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup.

However, the potential deal did not go through due to a disagreement over his academy. Chukwueze was a member of the Golden Eaglets team that won the U17 World Cup in Chile, where he scored three goals and won the Bronze Ball award.

Following his impressive performance at the tournament, several clubs, including Arsenal, expressed interest in signing the young player.

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“From the [2015] World Cup I went to Arsenal to sign a contract, but it got complicated because they didn’t reach an agreement with my academy,” Chukwueze revealed in an interview.

“I went through Salzburg and Porto before being lucky enough to come to Villarreal. And I signed a pre-contract at the age of 17.

“They told me that I had to return at the age of 18 before signing the final contract as a professional. I said, ‘Okay, no problem.’ I returned to Nigeria and started training with my academy again.”