Arsenal were linked with a move for Djibril Sow months ago and have since signed Declan Rice to bolster their midfield, but Francesco Iucca of Calciomercato says the Gunners have returned for 26-year-old.
Sow is expected to leave Eintracht Frankfurt this summer and Lazio were closing in on a €15m (£13m) deal, but Arsenal are trying to hijack the move. The report says the Gunners are ‘forcefully’ trying to enter negotiations to sign Sow.
Mikel Arteta is trying to sign a midfielder after selling Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen while releasing Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The Arsenal manager does still have Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Mohamed Elneny and Sambi Lokonga at his disposal, but Elneny spent last season on the treatment table while Lokonga is surplus to requirements.
Sow has played for FC Zurich, Borussia Monchengladbach and BSC Young Boys before joining Frankurt in 2019. He’s gone on to make 160 appearances in all competitions for the German outfit, scoring eight goals with 13 assists while boasting plenty of experience at the top level.
Sow to Arsenal?
The Swiss international, who has represented his country on 38 occasions, is a defensive-minded player who averaged more tackles per game (1.3) than Granit Xhaka (0.9) and had the same amount as Jorginho (1.3). No Arsenal player averaged more interceptions per game last season (0.9) either, so it’s easy to see why they’d be keen.
Lazio recently lost Sergej Milinković-Savić to Saudi club Al Hilal and want Sow to replace him, but Arsenal are hoping to capitalise on the situation. The 26-year-old could be a cheap alternative if he’s really valued at £13m, but the report says Sevilla are also throwing a spanner in the works.
Arsenal haven’t yet made a formal move for Sow and may not need to if Partey and Jorginho are staying in North London next season, but it does appear that Arteta is keeping his options open. Arsenal and Lazio both finished second in their respective domestic leagues, so they can both promise Champions League football next season.
