People close to a £26 million Arsenal midfield target expect him to move on this summer, and the player could well be a fantastic alternative to Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes.
Edu and Arteta targeting new midfielder for Arsenal
Manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar are widely believed to be in pursuit of a new midfielder this summer, with Thomas Partey expected to leave Arsenal after four years of service.
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The north Londoners are keen to beat Bayern Munich to his signature.
The 30-year-old saw his game time far more limited last season due to injuries, making just 14 Premier League appearances and even missing out on a place in Ghana’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
He’s also entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, so Arsenal are willing to entertain offers for Partey amid interest from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere abroad.
If Arsenal find a buyer for the £200,000-per-week midfielder, they’ll need a replacement, and it is believed Guimaraes is being targeted by Arsenal as one option. The Brazilian’s contract currently includes an active £100 million release clause, but it will only be active until the last week of June.
Arsenal also want to sign a striker and bolster other areas of the squad, so this potential marquee deal could seriously hinder them in doing so.
Youssouf Fofana expected to leave after claim Arsenal want him
Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, who is rumoured to command a bargain £26 million price tag, could be a great alternative to Guimaraes.
Arsenal are one of many European sides believed to be interested in Fofana. Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano says those close to Arsenal target Fofana expect him to leave, and he could be one of the surprises of the window.
“An important player to watch in the summer transfer window is also Youssouf Fofana, the French national team midfielder for Monaco,” said Romano on his YouTube channel.
“He was on the list for Manchester United and Inter last summer, end of August, but Monaco said no to all of the approaches.
|
Youssouf Fofana’s best Ligue 1 games for Monaco last season |
Match Rating (via WhoScored) |
|---|---|
|
Monaco 2-2 Lorient |
8.74 |
|
Monaco 1-0 Lille |
8.15 |
|
Montpellier 0-2 Monaco |
8.12 |
|
Monaco 3-0 Strasbourg |
7.93 |
|
Rennes 1-2 Monaco |
7.64 |
“He’s out of contract in 2025, same as Alphonso Davies, but with a difference. Youssouf Fofana is not even negotiating a new contract with Monaco and the expectation of those close to the player, and the expectation of Monaco is for Youssouf Fofana to leave the club this summer. So Youssouf Fofana can really leave the club.
“What’s going to happen? There is interest from Italy, there is interest from England, there is interest from Germany, so several clubs are keeping an eye on Fofana. There is movement on him, keep an eye on this player, it could be one of the surprises of the summer transfer window.”
