Arsenal have entered the race to sign an up-and-coming Serie A star who is being pursued by several of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Arsenal preparing to sign Serie A defender
Having just won the Premier League and just missed out on penalties in the Champions League final, Arsenal are in the mood to improve further.
Now that the Gunners are back on the English throne for the first time in 22 years, Andrea Berta wants to ensure a long-term reign rather than a temporary visit to the top.
That could bring up a lot of names, but the biggest one would be Julian Alvarez. Atletico Madrid have made their position on Barcelona’s interest clear, but the north Londoners could swoop in to provide the Catalan giants with a new rival.
However, Alvarez is not the only player on the Gunners’ shortlist. According to SportsBoom, Arsenal are preparing to sign Honest Ahanoglu from Atalanta this summer, pushing even teams like Real Madrid to one side in the process.
The Serie A side have priced the young defender at a whopping €60m (about £52m), with interest from Los Blancos as well as Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Man City.
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Simply put, the 18-year-old is a sought-after player at almost every top club in Europe. If there was ever a time for Arsenal to bend the English crown to win a crucial transfer race, it is now.
The Emirates have certainly become a place for young defenders in recent years. Cristian Mosquera became the latest name to complete a transfer last summer, with Ahanoğlu likely to follow suit in the coming months.
Why Arsenal are targeting the ‘phenomenon’ Ahanoglu
In theory, it may sound foolish for Arsenal to target yet another defender. Their backline is as deep as anyone in the Premier League, and probably European football. But Ahanor is too gifted to turn down.
The Italian, described as a “phenomenon” by scout Jacek Kulig, has already made his mark in Atalanta’s first team, starting 19 times in all competitions this season. He has made every effort to make a big move happen in the coming months.
25/26 League Statistics P90 | Ahanor | across |
|---|---|---|
minutes | 1,374 | 2,615 |
tackle | 2.36 | 1.2 |
Successful duel | 59.6% | 56.7% |
Pass accuracy | 89.6% | 92.9% |
collect | 3.08 | 3.89 |
The numbers largely support Kulig’s accolades. Compared to William Saliba in small quantities, Ahanoğlu was more aggressive and achieved greater success in duels than the Frenchman this season.
Meanwhile, in possession, he shows all the signs of becoming an elite-level centre-back. Whether it will be Arsenal, Man City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Chelsea is a big open question.
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