Arsenal are stepping up their pursuit of Mexican teenager Gilberto Mora and have moved ahead of Liverpool in the race to sign the 18-year-old, according to reports.

Mora, who plays for Club Tijuana, is one of the most talked-about young players in world football. His release clause is reportedly worth $26.8m (£20m), a figure that puts him within reach of Europe's biggest clubs and explains why the competition for his signature is so fierce.

Arsenal's plan, according to the reports, is to sign Mora and then send him out on loan. It is a familiar strategy for top clubs signing young talent from outside Europe: secure the player first, then give him a season of regular football elsewhere to develop before bringing him into the first-team picture. The approach suggests Arsenal see Mora as a signing for the future rather than an immediate starter.

Liverpool are also heavily linked with the midfielder, and the race between the two Premier League clubs is the central story of the transfer. Arsenal are reported to have moved ahead of their rivals, but Liverpool's interest is serious, and transfer races of this kind are rarely settled until a deal is actually signed.

Bayern Munich have also shown interest in Mora, which underlines how highly he is rated. When clubs from England and Germany are all tracking the same 18-year-old, it is a sign that the scouting consensus is strong — and that the fee, whatever it ends up being, will be seen as an investment in a player whose best years are still ahead of him.

The numbers behind the hype are impressive for a player of his age. Mora has scored 15 goals in 62 appearances for Tijuana, a strong return for a teenage midfielder playing senior football. He has also made his mark on the international stage: he scored for Mexico in their Gold Cup semi-final win over Honduras, and he featured four times at the 2026 World Cup.

Former Mexico defender Claudio Suárez has confirmed that Arsenal have shown serious interest in the youngster, adding weight to the reports. When a respected former international speaks publicly about a club's interest, it usually means the pursuit is genuine rather than agent talk — and Suárez's comments will have encouraged Arsenal supporters who have been following the story.

For now, the situation is clear: Arsenal lead the race, Liverpool are close behind, Bayern are watching, and a release clause of $26.8m (£20m) sets the price. Whether the Gunners can turn their position into a signed deal — and whether the loan plan that follows is the right next step for an 18-year-old with 15 goals in 62 club games and World Cup experience already behind him — is the question that will decide how this transfer story ends.