Arsenal and Liverpool want to sign Willian Pacho

According to Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal and Liverpool have identified Eintracht Frankfurt defender Willian Pacho as a target for the summer transfer window.

The 22-year-old only joined Frankfurt from Royal Antwerp last summer and he has already become a mainstay in their central defence. The Ecuadorian has already made 35 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit and Plettenberg reports that Pacho is now on the wishlist of Arsenal as well as Liverpool.

The respected journalist added that Frankfurt are already informed about the interest from the Premier League giants. Plettenberg claims that the German club could demand £51 million to sell their prized asset.

Good talent

Arsenal presently have Gabriel Magalhaes and Jakub Kiwior as their left-footed central defensive options. Magalhaes has been a consistent starter after the speculation at the beginning of the campaign. Kiwior has only replaced the Brazilian on some occasions and he has mostly played from left-back this term.

Pacho could be considered as a potential target for the Gunners if Kiwior were to leave the club. The Poland star has been linked with a return to Serie A for some period of time. Liverpool, on the other hand, could see him as a potential successor to Virgil van Dijk. He could start off as a deputy behind the Dutchman.

The Ecuadorian would be a quality signing for both teams. He is strong when contesting duels and making tackles in and around his own box. He also likes to clear his lines regularly and has fantastic recovery pace. The South American ace could be tempted to make the next step in his career in the Premier League.

The price tag appears on the higher side at the moment. With both teams having established central defenders for the starting XI, they will be hoping to negotiate a lesser price for Pacho, who has already earned 9 caps with his national team.