Aaron Hickey is unlikely to sign a new contract and could be sold by Bologna amid interest from Premier League giants Arsenal, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, the club’s sporting director tells Football Italia.
Just one year after Mikel Arteta succeeded in luring Takehiro Tomiyasu away from the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Arsenal are hoping that their relationship with the Serie A outfit can open the door for another promising full-back to swap Emilia-Romagna for the Emirates.
The Gunners reportedly submitted an offer in the region of £21 million a couple of weeks ago (Gazzetta dello Sport). Arsenal remain in pole position too, despite rival interest from Brentford, Newcastle and big-spending Aston Villa.
Arsenal lead Aaron Hickey chase
Hickey’s contract expires next summer.
The baby-faced Glaswegian is still expected to become the second-most expensive export in Bologna’s history, however, after scoring five times from a so-called ‘defensive’ role during the 2021/22 Serie A season.
“His agent and us have different ideas. The (contract) renewal seems impossible and we’ll try to sell him at the best conditions for us,” explains Bologna director Marco Di Vaio.
“It could be he is one of those we could sacrifice. But if we don’t receive adequate offers, he’ll likely stay for another year.
“We must be good at financing new signings and finding new players. If we make the right moves, we’ll be able to replace (key players) and keep all the others.”
Comparisons will inevitably be drawn between Hickey and fellow Scot Kieran Tierney; Another attack-minded left-back who rose through the ranks north of the border at Celtic. Tierney’s ongoing injury issues mean a new left-sided defender remains one of Arsenal’s top summer targets, and the ‘extraordinary’ Hickey seems an upgrade on the exasperating Nuno Tavares.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, sold Matt Targett to Newcastle United earlier this month.
‘Could be like Busquets’
“He’s so young he could play a lot of positions,” former Hearts and now Aston Villa coach Austin MacPhee tells The Sun, insisting that Hickey’s intelligence and wide-ranging skill-set could see him blossom in a more central role.
“He could end up being like (Barcelona legend Sergio) Busquets. Right now, he reminds me of Jonny Evans. It’s the way he defends, moves and always wants the ball as a defender.
“Jonny spent some of his career at left-back, centre-back and defensive midfield. It will be interesting to see where Aaron ends up but he’s a young player I would hang my hat on. He’s tall enough to play at centre-back too.”
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