Nemanja Matic appears to have given Arsenal the 'green light' to sign Desire Doue. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has been turning heads following a standout season in France's top tier.

Doue, whose contract at the Roazhon Park is set to run until 2026, has made 29 appearances for Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 this term, netting four goals and setting up five. His stellar performances have reportedly piqued the interest of numerous top European clubs, including the Gunners.

According to TBR Football, both Arsenal and Manchester United have been keeping tabs on Doue. The report claims Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle have also been monitoring the France Under-23 international, along with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund.

Despite the steep competition for Doue's signature, Matic has already outlined why Mikel Arteta must wrap up a deal. Speaking to French newspaper Ouest France last September, the former Chelsea midfielder lavished praise on the young prodigy.

"In my entire career, I've never played in such a young team, with players at 19 or 20 years old," said Matic, as quoted by the Ligue 1 website. "[But] it's always interesting to see how they progress. Desire has great potential. There are a few others but I don't want to say their names because I don't think it's good for them."

The Magpies' interest in rising star Doue was confirmed by Mikael Silvestre in June 2023. The former Manchester United defender and agent of Doue told iNews: "I know Newcastle came to watch him and were in touch with us.

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"Like a lot of clubs in Europe when they scout, they come and try and speak to the entourage and get a feeling and try to understand what the situation is. It's not necessarily about the contractual situation but also what's going on in the life of the player as much as possible before they make a move."

For now, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal or Chelsea will pursue a move for the youngster, but a switch certainly aligns with Manchester United's revised recruitment philosophy. Speaking on the Cycling Club podcast in March, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: "I think in a way what I would rather do is try to sign the next Mbappé than spend a fortune trying to buy success.

"It's not that clever buying Mbappe, anyone can figure that one out. What's much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or [Jude] Bellingham or Roy Keane."

The British billionaire added: "The solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that if you look at what they've done the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players.

"The first thing you need to do is get the right people in the right boxes managing the club and make sure we get recruitment right, that's such a vital part of a football club, getting recruitment right."