Arsenal Nears Signing of Liverpool Talent Vincent Joseph

Arsenal are closing on the signing of highly rated Liverpool forward Vincent Joseph, striking an agreement with the 16-year-old while talks continue with Liverpool over a compensation package.

The Athletic reports that the teenager has agreed to join the north London club this summer, leaving the two Premier League rivals to thrash out a settlement. Because Joseph is just 16 and out of contract, Liverpool are entitled to compensation, with a tribunal waiting in the background if the clubs fail to agree a fee.

Joseph has been one of the standout prospects in Liverpool’s youth ranks. He broke into the U18 Premier League last season and wasted no time making an impression, scoring three goals in just two appearances at that level. The step up, though, didn’t persuade him to commit his future to Anfield, and he is now poised to walk away.

His numbers for England underline why Arsenal have moved. Joseph has hit eight goals in nine games for England U16s, all during the 2025/26 campaign, a return that has marked him out as one of the most dangerous young strikers in his age group.

Arsenal’s academy department has been aggressively hunting for centre-forward talent after missing out on several targets in recent windows. They lost out on Will Wright to Liverpool last year; this time, the roles are reversed. With agreements in place for Crystal Palace striker Mylo Bernard and Liverpool’s Joseph, the Gunners look to have finally landed the firepower they wanted for the next wave of Hale End graduates.

The overhaul does not stop there. Arsenal have already brought in Elijah Upson from Tottenham Hotspur this summer and are set to complete a deal for Axel Donczew from Cardiff City. Of the quartet, Donczew is the only player who was not out of contract, a clear sign that Arsenal are ready to pounce when negotiations stall at rival Premier League clubs, but will also pay up when the talent justifies it.

For now, the hard work is administrative rather than tactical: finalising the settlements, signing off the paperwork, and announcing the arrivals of Joseph, Bernard and Donczew. Once that is done, the real question begins: how many of this new attacking crop will make the jump from academy promise to Arsenal first-team reality?