Tottenham Hotspur now fear competition as Arsenal have named their ‘unpredictable’ £43m star as their main target in the summer transfer window.
Gunners enter full-back race as manager White’s future remains uncertain
Sky Sports’ reporter Dharmesh Sheth confirmed that a number of clubs have their sights set on Ben White ahead of the summer transfer window, saying: “We actually ran an article about Ben White on Sky Sports News back in January. We knew he wasn’t going to move in January, but it felt like there were a lot of clubs already looking at Ben White as a potential summer move.”
“Mikel Arteta wants to keep the team as united as possible because he will need every player in the team now that they are competing on all four fronts. But I expect some movement with Ben White in the summer.”
It has been a difficult season for the Englishman, who has been sidelined for seven Premier League games due to injury, but given the number of options at Arteta’s disposal in defence, game time is difficult to find even when he is in good form.
With White’s future up in the air, Arsenal have stormed into the race to sign Atalanta star Marco Palestra, meaning relegation-battling rivals Tottenham are now at serious risk of missing out.
Such is the level of interest from the Gunners, they have identified the Palestra as their main target, with Arteta keen to sign a full-back who can flip into midfield, and Spurs are at a huge disadvantage given their rivals’ status as quadruple candidates.
The Serie A side are expected to hold out for a transfer fee in the region of €40m to €50m (£35m to £43m), given the “strong” interest from the Premier League, which Brentford are also keen on.
Arsenal have begun contract talks with Bundesliga’s ‘elite’ £60m star, who is Mikel Arteta’s priority target
The Gunners are in talks to sign a new defender.
‘Unpredictable’ Palestra impresses with loan move to Cagliari
After failing to make much of an impact for Atalanta last season, making just nine appearances in Serie A, the 21-year-old moved on loan to Cagliari in the summer, where he became one of the top names on the team sheet.
The youngster played in 27 games in Serie A this season, creating six big chances, the second most on the team, and demonstrated his ability up front, recording one goal and four assists.
The full-back, who has played slightly above the forwards this season, has been Cagliari’s most consistent player in Serie A with an average match rating of 7.11, according to FotMob.
Palestra, described by journalist Bence Boksak as an “unpredictable dribbler”, could be an exciting signing for Arsenal, but £43m would be a steep price to pay for a player who has yet to prove himself for an extended period of time.
