Arsenal ready to pay £31.5m to sign Serie A star as Emery eyes first signing

Managers are making plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal are linked with Kostas Manolas….

Arsenal are ready to meet a £31.5m release clause in Kostas Manolas’ contract as Unai Emery eyes a summer swoop to sign the AS Roma centre-back, according to Il Messaggero.

Emery is gearing-up for another busy summer as he continues to reshape the squad he inherited from Arsene Wenger last year and defence is still a major area of concern for the Gunners boss.

We conceded a whopping 51 goals in our 38 Premier League games this season – which was significantly worse than any of the top four and 28 more goals than champions Man City let in – so Arsenal desperately need to tighten things up at the back.

It seems the only way to do that is to dip into the transfer market as Shkodran Mustafi continues to be a liability, Laurent Koscielny turns 34 this year while Rob Holding is working his way back from a serious knee injury so we need to bring in another centre-back this summer.

Arsenal have reportedly lined-up Manolas as a prime target as Italian outlet Il Messaggero claims we are ready to meet the Greek international’s £31.5m [€36m] release clause in order to try and bring him to north London.

Manolas has long been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium and he would be a superb addition to the Arsenal squad if we could get a deal agreed as the 27-year-old has been one of the best central defenders in Italian football in recent years.

The former Olympiacos defender is strong in the air, decent with the ball at his feet and would bring a lot of experience to the team while his £31.5m release fee is very reasonable in today’s over-inflated market.

There is no doubt Manolas would be a huge upgrade on Mustafi so I’d love to see him become Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, however, we aren’t the only club in the running for his signature as Il Messaggero says Juventus are also prepared to match his release clause.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news

Obviously Juve are formidable opposition as they’re the reigning Serie A champions and would allow Manolas to remain in Italy so it may all come down to whether the player wants a new challenge in the Premier League or would prefer to remain in Italy.