Laurent Koscielny could make way for Barcelona‘s Samuel Umtiti as Arsenal look to start a defensive revamp.
The defensive liabilities at the Emirates is no secret and the Arsenal faithful will he delighted to know the club are actively trying to find a solution to the problem at hand. Shkodran Mustafi has become a joke in the footballing community, leaving his side almost at a one-man disadvantage.
Which is exactly why the Gunners are not looking to cheap-out this time and to aim for a high-profile player. Umtiti has been linked with the London side for a while now and according to Metro, that interest may finally be picking up momentum. The report suggests that the move could materialise for as little as £44 million, despite the Frenchman’s release clause being well over 10 times that figure.
The former Lyon star was regarded as one of Europe’s very best defender until a knee injury paved the way for Clement Lenglet to exploit his absence. The 23-year-old impressed the boss fairly quickly and hasn’t looked back ever since. This has left Umtiti out of favour in Spain and demoted to a bench role.
Being a quality World Cup winning centre-back, it’s no surprise that he wishes for regular first-team action. Which was confirmed by his agent, who said his client is preparing to hold talks with Barca higher-ups to decide his future.
This is where Unai Emery’s side come in. Naturally, Emery can offer consistent first-team football.
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However, the whole situation has made the Arsenal skipper feel a sense of unimportance. It would be fair to say Koscielny wouldn’t get as many minutes as he would like should the French international arrive in North London. Especially with Sokratis Paspastathopoulos in the squad and Rob Holding returning from injury soon.
As per the reports, the Frenchman is already looking for a new job and Bayer Leverkusen are said to be keen on his situation.
Nevertheless, the ordeal yet again depends on the Europa League final against Chelsea as with win, Emery and his men qualify for Champions League football and be awarded financially. Without such a financial aid, Arsenal’s transfer funds could suffer.
