Arsenal
Arsenal To Make €43m Bid For Man Utd Target Ahead Of Possible January Move
Arsenal are set to make their move for Man Utd target Aymeric Laporte and will meet his €43m (£34m) buy-out clause ahead of a potential switch this January.
The summer transfer window may be closed but managers are already thinking ahead to future transfer windows so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal are linked with Man Utd target Aymeric Laporte.
Arsenal are set to make their move for Man Utd target Aymeric Laporte and will meet his €43m (£34m) buy-out clause ahead of a potential switch this January, according to reports.
Laporte has become one of the most highly-rated young defenders in Europe since breaking into the Athletic Bilbao first team in 2013 and became a regular in Ernesto Valverde’s starting eleven last season, making 35 La Liga appearances.
His impressive form attracted interest from several top European sides with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all linked with a move for the 20-year-old throughout the summer months.
Much to the disappointment of his suitors, Laporte ended up opting to stay at Bilbao and extended his contract until 2018 with his new deal seeing his buy-out figure increase to a whopping €43m (£34m).
However, that doesn’t appear to have put off Arsenal as the Express claims that Arsene Wenger has renewed his interest in the defender and is ready to make a bid that would trigger his buy-out clause ahead of the January transfer window.
The Gunners are certainly short of options at the back with Calum Chambers the only recognised back-up to first-choice centre-back pairing Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, and even he is being used at right-back with Mathieu Debuchy out until the New Year, so it would be no surprise if Wenger did bring in another central defender in January.
Laporte is certainly an excellent prospect but after snubbing interest from all over Europe in the summer, I’m not sure Arsenal would be able to convince the youngster to swap Spain for North London so soon after signing a new deal with Bilbao.
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It also remains to be seen how the likes of United would react if Arsenal did meet the French Under-21 international’s buy-out fee as Louis van Gaal also has problems at the back this season, so the Dutchman may decide to enter the race if Laporte shows any sign that he’d be open to a move this winter.
