Arsenal close-in on bargain £5m deal to sign 6ft 2in French star this summer

Arsenal are closing in on a bargain £5m deal to sign highly-rated Le Harve midfielder Pape Gueye as Mikel Arteta prepares to overhaul his squad this summer, according to reports.

Money was tight at the Emirates in January so Arteta was only able to bring in defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares on initial six-month loan deals but Arsenal chiefs are expected to provide funds for permanent signings in the summer window.

A dominant box-to-box midfielder is reportedly a priority and the Daily Mail carried a report earlier this week suggesting Arsenal have identified Gueye as a key transfer target having monitored his progress this season.

It seems we’ve now stepped up our interest as reports from France via the Express claim Arsenal are closing in on a £5m deal to sign the 21-year-old ahead of the likes of AC Milan, Fiorentina, Udinese and Sevilla.

The newspaper cites French outlet Jeunes Footeux as reporting that Arsenal are on the brink of agreeing a fee with Le Harve and the Ligue 2 outfit are ready to cash-in on the youngster as  Gueye has less than 18 months left on his contract and is showing no sign of penning an extension.

Arsenal signed Matteo Guendouzi from Ligue 2 Lorient in 2018 and it looks like we’re about to raid the French second tier once again for another highly-rated midfielder with Gueye set to become Arteta’s first permanent signing.

The French U21 international is tipped for a bright future having come through the Le Harve youth system before breaking into the first team in 2017 and he’s already been handed the captains armband despite his young age.

Gueye stands at 6ft 2in and he’s been described as a mix of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba so he could turn out to be a shrewd piece of business if Arsenal can get this proposed deal over the line this summer.

We desperately need a dominant figure to impose himself in the middle of the park as central midfield has been a problem area for Arsenal in recent years and it appears Arteta feels Gueye could be the man for the job.