Olympique Marseille are reportedly close to signing Hella Verona star Ivan Ilic, a midfielder who Arsenal have been linked with in recent months.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the French giants are set to complete the signing of the Serbian international this week in a deal that cost as much as €18m (£15m), with Marseille beating the likes of Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to the midfielder’s signature.
Corriere dello Sport reported in December that Mike Arteta’s side are interested in signing Ilic this January as Arsenal look to add to their midfielder ranks. However, the 21-year-old talent won’t be heading to north London with Marseille now in the clear to bring the youngster to the south of France.
A former Manchester City academy graduate, Ilic is regarded by many as one of the most promising talents in Italy at Hellas. However, with the Verona-based side struggling in Serie A this campaign, a move to Marseille makes a lot of sense for the Nis-born maestro.
Indeed, Igor Tudor’s side signing Ilic will be viewed as quite a steal for Marseille, and for Arsenal, the Premier League leaders will seemingly have to return to the drawing board as the Gunners look to bring in that quality midfielder who can offer Arteta a crucial option in the squad.
Marseille signing Ilic shouldn’t bother Arsenal too much
Arsenal have responded well in the transfer market since missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk this month, with the Gunners signing Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior in the span of a few days. And whilst Ilic would have been another shrewd pick-up, missing out on the youngster isn’t the end of the world.
As we know, the north London side are chasing other midfielders in this window, and whilst Ilic would have suited Arsenal’s transfer strategy, there are arguably better options out there in the market for the Gunners to chase in the final week of January.
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