Arsenal and Man Utd in battle to sign Milan Skriniar

Arsenal and Manchester United have expressed their interest in signing Milan Skriniar but face a fierce battle to land the coveted Inter Milan defender, according to 90min.

Skriniar has forged a reputation as one of the best central defenders in Italian football since joining Inter from Sampdoria in 2017 and he’s helped the club win the Serie A title and two domestic cups during his 236 appearances.

However, the 27-year-old’s future at the San Siro is in serious doubt as he’s in the final year of his contract and 90min says Inter are struggled to agree terms over an extension.

Inter CEO Beppe Moratta publicly claimed he was confident of agreeing a new deal with Skriniar before the World Cup break on November 13th but no contract has been signed with talks now at a stalemate.

The situation has alerted top clubs here in the Premier League and 90min claims that Arsenal and Manchester United have both expressed their interest in signing Skriniar.

According to the report, the Gunners and Red Devils are in contact with the players agent and hope to lure the Slovakian international to England – most likely on a free transfer at the end of the season.

However, Arsenal and United will face further competition as 90min says Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham are also showing a keen interest along with other European clubs.

Fierce battle

Inter Milan are also determined to agree a new long-term deal with Skriniar before he can sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January, so it’s going to be a fierce battle to sign one of the most coveted players in Europe right now.

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is rebuilding the squad he inherited from Ralf Rangnick and the Red Devils could be eyeing Skriniar as a replacement for Harry Maguire – who’s fallen out of favour at Old Trafford.

Arsenal are sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a stunning start to the season but Mikel Arteta has hinted he’d still like to further strengthen his squad this winter.

Another centre-back to compete with Gabriel Magalhaes is seemingly on the agenda and it looks like Arsenal have identified Skriniar as a potential target.

The report suggests that Arsenal and United would ideally like to sign the centre-back on a free transfer next summer, but it remains to be seen how Inter will react if no new deal is agreed by the New Year.

Skriniar is currently valued at around £52m by Transfermarkt so Inter may look to cash-in this winter rather than lose such a valuable asset for nothing next summer.