Arsenal target bargain swoop to sign £29m Evan Ndicka

Arsenal are eyeing a move to sign Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka as Mikel Arteta looks to bring in another left-footed centre-back, according to reports via TeamTalk.

The Spanish coach has built a hugely impressive young team at the Emirates Stadium with Arsenal currently sitting top of the Premier League table having won eight of their nine games so far this season.

However, Arteta is still looking to further strengthen his ranks and another left-footed centre-back is seemingly on the agenda. Gabriel Magalhaes is Arsenal’s first choice in that position but there is no left-footed alternative should he be unavailable.

Ben White, William Saliba and Rob Holding are all right footed and prefer to play on the right side of the two centre-back positions, so Arteta is looking to balance things out by signing another leftie.

It looks like he already has a target in mind as TeamTalk are citing a report from Il Romanista that claims Arsenal are showing a keen interest in signing Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 6ft 4in defender has developed into one of the most highly-rated central defenders in the Bundesliga since joining Frankfurt from Auxerre in 2018 and he’s now a firm fixture in their starting eleven.

Bargain move

Ndicka played a key role in helping Frankfurt win the Europa League last season and his impressive performances have attracted interest from a host of clubs both in the Premier League and across Europe.

The 23-year-old is in the final year of his contract and is no closer to signing an extension, which means Ndicka will be able to hold talks with foreign clubs in January ahead of a free transfer move next summer.

Being able to sign Ndicka for free would be an absolute bargain as he’s valued at almost £29m by Transfermarkt and would probably fetch an even higher fee if he was tied to a long-term contract.

Arsenal are among those vying for his signature but the report says the Gunners will face stiff competition from AS Roma and other unnamed English clubs.

We’ll have to wait and see how things progress over the coming months but Ndicka would be an excellent signing for Arsenal if they were able to win the race to land the talented defender on a free transfer next year.