Linked with a move to Arsenal - Who is Genk's 17-year-old wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas?

The Belgian Jupiler Pro League has long been renowned for producing some of the best young talents in the game. Natives such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku came through in their homeland before enjoying illustrious careers, while even international players from across the globe have found joy in evolving in Belgium in recent years. One of the latest players on the talent production line could just be Genk's 17-year-old midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas. Remarkably, he has already played 43 first-team games, and recent reports suggest a top Premier League club are in talks with the Greek teenager.

According to reports in Greece, Arsenal are ‘very close’ to signing Genk's attacking midfielder Karetsas in a potential €45 million deal. The teenager has enormous potential and has already made some impact in Belgium. He was born in the city of Genk to Greek parents, and following switching his international allegiance from Belgium to Greece, scored on his second cap for the senior team in a 3-0 win against Scotland to become his nation's youngest ever goalscorer. Should a transfer to Mikel Arteta's team go through for €45m, it would make Karetsas the most expensive 17-year-old signing in football history. So why is there so much hype around the young midfielder? With expert insight from Belgium, Transfermarkt brings you everything you need to know about the Arsenal target.

What type of player is Konstantinos Karetsas?

"He is a playmaker in the purest sense of the word," explains Transfermarkt's Area Manager in Belgium Bart Tamsyn. Tamsyn is an expert on the Jupiler Pro League, having previously worked as a scout for Club Brugge, and tells us more about what Arsenal fans can expect from midfielder Karetsas: "His vision combined with the technique of his left foot is something that is rarely seen in Belgium. He is a player who does not need to be taught too many tactics or running patterns, but rather needs to be allowed to do his thing based on his intuition." Karetsas ended last season with two goals and two assists in 25 league matches, but did win the division's goal of the season award for a long-range strike against Gent.

"He is indeed a special talent and if it were up to him, he would have played even more," Tamysn continues. "After all, you will see in his statistics that Genk didn't put him in the starting line-up for three games in a row last season. They didn't want to burn him out physically too quickly and wanted to bring him through carefully. In Belgium, he is often compared to Bilal El Khannouss because he is actually his replacement. But in fact, they are quite different types of players. El Khannouss was much more goal-oriented and popped up in the box a lot more, while Karetsas tends to run laterally, looking for space and then delivering the decisive pass himself." So is Karetsas ready for the demands of the Premier League and playing for Arteta's Gunners?

Is Konstantinos Karetsas ready for the Premier League?

"As far as I'm concerned, he has the ability to take him to the top in Europe," Tamsyn enthusiastically states. "I think the next step will take him straight to a top club in one of the top-five European leagues, perhaps the Premier League, as that's where his favourite club plays. Although I don't think that step will happen this summer. Or it could be a deal like the one with Mike Penders, where he is signed now but stays at Genk on loan." Indeed, moving from to the Premier League at the tender of 17 is some ask, with even homegrown English player usually unlikely to be ready to impact the first-team at such a young age.The 18-year-old duo of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri played a big role in Arsenal's 2024/25 season, and perhaps Arteta is looking to add more young blood to his Arsenal.

How much would Konstantinos Karetsas cost?

"Given goalkeeper Penders' €20m transfer, Genk will certainly not accept less than €30 million for Karetsas, and even €35 million is realistic," explains Tamsyn. "Currently, the highest transfer fee in Belgium is that of Igor Thiago's €33 million move to Brentford last summer. If there is a possibility that Genk can break that record, they will do everything in their power to do so, partly just for prestige." If Karetsas does seal a summer move to the Emirates for anywhere near some of the fees being mooted, it would break a number of records. The young Greek midfielder is certainly a big name for the future, and could represent a smart signing for the Gunners.