Myles Lewis-Skelly is seeking to establish himself as an Arsenal midfielder after making his first-team breakthrough mainly at left-back. His late-season performances in central midfield may have changed the club’s view of his future, despite intense competition and previous openness to offers. The situation matters because the 19-year-old is both a highly rated academy product and a potential key part of Arsenal’s long-term squad.

Lewis-Skelly made 36 appearances in all competitions last season and started all but one match in Arsenal’s final run-in, which ended with the Premier League title and a Champions League final defeat to Paris St-Germain. He faces competition from Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie at left-back, while midfielder Martin Zubimendi’s declining form helped create his midfield opportunity. Arsenal spent about £250m on signings last summer, and selling an academy graduate would count as “pure profit” financially, though his strong finish may have prompted a rethink.