A report from Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has named which club out of Arsenal and Newcastle United is most likely to sign Gabri Veiga, with Liverpool not even in the race for the Celta Vigo star.

Veiga is an attacking midfielder who is enjoying a great campaign with Celta in Spain. So far this season he has managed nine goals and three assists, which has put some major clubs on his trail.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle have all been tipped to enter negotiations with Celta for the extremely talented 20-year-old.

On Wednesday, Spanish source Diario AS revealed how Newcastle are mobilising to sign Veiga first. The Magpies have told Celta they are willing to pay his €40million (£35.2m) release clause in full.

The next day, Celta’s club president Carlos Mourino admitted it will be impossible to keep the playmaker for the long run due to the calibre of teams that are pursuing him.

Mourino said that Veiga would only leave if his release clause was met, while adding that four of the top 10 Premier League clubs have made contact. However, he did not specifically name those sides.

READ MORE: Brighton star told to avoid £70million Arsenal mistake and warned some ‘can’t do it at higher level’

Fresh reports emerging from Spain on Saturday hinted Liverpool are preparing to meet Veiga’s release clause, just like Newcastle.

However, Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) dispute those claims by not even naming Liverpool as a potential next destination for the star.

Arsenal and Newcastle vying for player, with Liverpool ruled out

Instead, they put Arsenal and Newcastle as his main suitors. And Veiga has supposedly made a choice about which of those two clubs he wants to join.

Veiga is ready to reject Newcastle and sign for Arsenal. The report does not mention why he has come to this decision, but there could be a few factors at play.

The first is that moving to Arsenal would allow him to work under compatriot Mikel Arteta. The Spanish coach has done a brilliant job at improving a number of Arsenal players, and perhaps Veiga feels Arteta can get him to reach his colossal potential as a result.

Another factor to consider is Arsenal’s league position. They sit top of the table after 28 games with an eight-point lead on Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand, but Arsenal are in a great position to win their first league title since 2003/04.

Veiga would love to be part of a team competing for major silverware when leaving Celta. While Newcastle are doing very well, they are not quite at Arsenal’s level and this could see Veiga move to north London.

Veiga is not the only exciting young playmaker Arsenal have been linked with. They are also rumoured to be in the mix for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

But TEAMtalk understands City are serious about landing Wirtz, which may result in Arsenal missing out.

Meanwhile, a pundit has explained why an Arsenal and Chelsea target is ‘still not doing enough’ to warrant a huge £100m move.

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