Frenkie de Jong is one of the hottest talents in world football.
The midfield man was one of a number of young players to take the Champions League by storm with Ajax last season.
The Dutch giants beat Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the semi-finals, coming within seconds of reaching the final, only to be knocked out by Tottenham on away goals.
De Jong and teammate Matthijs de Ligt have been tipped for the top, and de Jong had already signed a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona to join the Catalan club for €75million on July 1.
What happens with de Ligt is still up in the air, but de Jong has already got his dream move.
However, in a stunning revelation, the 21-year-old has admitted that he saw himself elsewhere before going to Barca - Arsenal.
There were a number of clubs in the hunt for de Jong before he chose Barca, namely Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, and while Arsenal would have loved to have him, he was a bit out of their price range.
De Jong though wanted to follow in Ajax technical director Marc Overmars' footsteps and go to Arsenal before Barca.
Speaking to Voetbal International , he said: "In my mind I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona, call it the Marc Overmars route.
"But then again, if you can go directly to Barcelona then you are right where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream."
If only his rise to super stardom had not been quite as swift for Arsenal fans.
