Arsenal still have high hopes for William Saliba, but are now looking to French football for another talented young defender.
Foot Mercato reported last month that Arsenal are in the race to sign Valenciennes defender Ismael Doukoure.
Strasbourg and Leicester City are also thought to be keen on Doukoure, who has been tabbed as the next Dayot Upamecano; both emerged with Valenciennes.
Doukoure is only 17, but is already attracting major interest after just 17 first-team appearances for the second-tier side.
Now, La Voix Du Nord report that president Eddy Zdziech has already settled on a price tag for Doukoure, valuing him at a minimum of €6million to €8million – around £5.2million to £7million.
That’s a potential bargain for a player described as a ‘phenomenon’, though Barcelona, Benfica, Juventus and Roma are all named as other suitors.
That kind of price has to be appealing to Arsenal, and it’s the kind of signing where they can bring him in cheaply and loan him out for first-team experience without the same furore as Saliba.
Given that Upamecano has just signed for Bayern Munich in a £37million deal, the chance to land Doukoure for a fraction of the price seems like a great opportunity for Edu and Arsenal.
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