Arsenal & Chelsea in £4m teenager battle

Chelsea have reportedly joined Arsenal in the pursuit of promising Southampton defender Luke Shaw.

The 16-year-old full-back has yet to make a first-team appearance for Saints, although he was an unused substitute in the weekend victory over Coventry.

According to The Independent, Arsenal face intense competition from Chelsea to sign Shaw who, despite his tender years, is being valued at around £4 million.

Numerous scouts will reportedly be in attendance to run the rule over Shaw - and others - when Saints' under-18s face Bolton in the FA Cup tonight, with Arsenal and Chelsea both likely to post representatives to the Reebok Stadium.

Shaw is seemingly the latest esteemed product of the Southampton academy, which has boasted graduates including Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in recent years.

The latter two both, of course, have since signed for Arsenal and, it would appear, Shaw could be the next teen talent to move to the Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been active buyers of young talent recently, with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois both moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer.