Arsenal have held talks about a move to sign highly-rated Lille youngster Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer, according to Football.London.
The Gunners had a quiet winter transfer window with no first-team arrivals coming in, although they allowed Oleksandr Zinchenko to depart for Ajax permanently, while highly-rated youngster Ethan Nwaneri joined Marseille on loan for the rest of the campaign.
But the north London club are already plotting moves to improve the squad in the summer, despite being top of the Premier League and Champions League, while also still being in the FA Cup and reaching the Carabao Cup final, and a talented young midfielder has emerged as a target.
Arsenal Hold Talks to Sign Bouaddi
Bouaddi
Bouaddi has been described as 'one of the biggest prospects in world football', having broken into the Lille side as a youngster, where he is now a regular in the first-team at the tender age of just 18.
The midfield technician has attracted interest from a number of top clubs across Europe including Manchester United, while GIVEMESPORT understands that PSG are also in the race for his signature.
But it has now emerged that Arsenal are very interested in the Lille star, and have already held loose, informal talks with the player's camp about a move to north London in the summer. There is currently no guarantee that those talks will develop into something more concrete, however, it's believed that should they formalise their interest then it would be a straight shootout between the Gunners and PSG to seal the deal.
Bouaddi signed a new long-term contract until 2029 at Lille in December, however, it's understood that agreement was in part to protect the player's value, and he is still expected to depart the Ligue 1 outfit in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Bouaddi Would Be a Statement Signing
Ayyoub Bouaddi in action for Lille vs PSG
Considering the quality of the Arsenal squad currently, there aren't many players who could come in as a statement signing, but Bouaddi is one of them.
With the competition for his signature and his quality. mixed with his age, Arsenal completing a deal to take him to the Emirates would prove that they are now one of Europe's elite in the eyes of the best players on the world stage.
He would likely come in and immediately compete for a starting spot with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, leapfrogging Myles Lewis-Skelly and Christian Norgaard, and it would be a real statement to the rest that the club are not going to rest on their laurels and they're going to continue raising the bar.
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