Arsenal are eyeing an audacious move to sign Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and are prepared to pay £77m (€90m) including bonuses for the 23-year-old, according to Spanish outlet Defensa Central.
The Spanish outlet claims that the Gunners are keen on signing the French international this summer as he has become a priority target for the North London club in their quest to revamp their midfield.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka have been tipped to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer, despite both playing a key role for Mikel Arteta’s side in recent years.
The duo formed a strong partnership alongside their skipper Martin Odegaard last season as Arsenal finished second in the Premier League behind treble winners Man City.
Partey has been linked with a move to Juventus as well as some Saudi Pro League teams, while Xhaka is on the verge of sealing his £22m transfer to Bayer Leverkusen in the coming days. Partey and Xhaka made a total appearance of 87, scored 11 goals, and provided seven assists in all competitions for Arsenal last season.
The North Londoners would need replacements for the pair if they leave and Tchouameni has emerged as a serious transfer target.
Reinforcement
Arsenal are currently finalising a deal for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice after their £105m bid was accepted by the Hammers last week, having rejected Manchester City’s offer for the 24-year-old.
It is believed that the transfer will be completed by the end of this week in order for Arsenal to move to other transfer targets as they look to bolster their squad for the forthcoming season.
According to Defensa Central, Arsenal are showing a serious interest in signing Tchouameni and are now prepared to launch a £77m bid including bonuses to sign the Frenchman.
The report says Madrid are reluctant to lose Tchouameni this summer so Arsenal will face a battle to agree any potential deal. However, the 23-year-old lost his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s side last season and Madrid have since signed Jude Bellingham, which will further limit his playing time.
The box-to-box midfielder was part of the France team that lost to Argentina in the final of last year’s World Cup in Qatar, missing his spot kick in the penalty shoot, and he would be an excellent signing for Arsenal if they could somehow pull it off.
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