Among the teams after Mali’s young international player Baye Coulibaly are Arsenal.

Last year, the 18-year-old burst to prominence starring for unfancied Mali U17s at the World Cup, when he pulled off some unexpected performances including the 3-0 defeat of Argentina, resulting in a third place finish.

Although Coulibaly stood in as an emergency center back for his nation, he has become known as a defensive midfielder where he appeared for Mali U20s in last month’s Africa Cup of Nations and got man of the match in their 0-0 tie with Gambia.

NK Kustosija in Croatia has captured the young player and is building a name for finding fresh talent and advancing them to more prominent European clubs.

Last summer, Red Bull Leipzig purchased 17-year- old attacker Dino Klapija, a former Manchester United target; earlier on, they transferred Senegalese prodigy Mikayil Faye to Barcelona, who later paid £12 million for Rennes.

Arsenal are among the clubs following Mali youth international midfielder Baye Coulibaly

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) is eager to keep acquiring young players with great promise.

Faye was also under observation for Arsenal, but financial constraints forced them to give other areas top priority throughout the summer.

Still, it hasn’t stopped them from being interested in Coulibaly; they are not alone.

While La Liga side Getafe made an early bid as they seek to grab a march on competitors for January, Champions League teams Girona and Red Bull Salzburg have also asked questions.

With top prospect Coulibaly ranked in the £5m range, the Madrid-based team is clearly lacking in Kustosija’s estimation.