According to iNews, Arsenal are prepared to battle it out with Chelsea and Liverpool to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.
The Gunners were interested in signing the England international during the last transfer window, but the Cherries were quite clear that he was not for sale.
However, their stance is expected to change at the start of the year. With Scott reluctant to pen a new contract beyond June 2028, he could be sold this winter.
The Cherries are still unlikely to sanction his sale on the cheap and they plan to demand more than £100 million to part ways with him in January.
Arsenal have held exploratory talks for the former Bristol City man, but they are only said to be eyeing a summer move for the highly-rated midfielder.
On the other hand, Chelsea and Liverpool are among clubs keenest to land him in January and could scupper the Gunners’ prospects of signing Scott.
Unlikely
The Gunners have one of the best central midfields in the Premier League. Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly were already in the squad last campaign and they have added Bruno Guimaraes to their ranks.
Guimaraes has been an instant success with a couple of vital winning goals against Sunderland and Leeds United. His regularity in the XI has meant that World Cup winners such as Zubimendi and Merino have hardly played in the league.
Zubimendi’s future has become a topic of speculation in the last few weeks but manager Mikel Arteta has no desire to sell him this winter. Hence, it is highly unlikely that the Gunners will make an approach for Scott in the next transfer window.
Of course, they could enter the race for his services at the end of the campaign, but there is a high possibility that Scott could leave in January itself, given Bournemouth may want to secure the best fee possible amid interest from Chelsea and Liverpool.
The Gunners are more likely to pursue an attacking player over another midfielder this winter. A transition forward with plenty of pace could be prioritised.
Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi has been a top target of theirs but it could be difficult to prise him away this winter, particularly if Scott were to head for the exit door with Chelsea and Liverpool keen.
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