Arsenal appear set to miss out on Dayot Upamecano this summer.
Arsenal’s hopes of signing centre-back Dayot Upamecano this summer appear set to fail.
Sky Sport Germany has reported Upamecano is set to agree a contract extension at RB Leipzig.
It is a surprising outcome considering the Frenchman had been widely expected to leave the club this summer.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich had both been competing to sign Upamecano, and pay his £52 million release clause.
For Arsenal, this is a big disappointment. They had been tracking Upamecano since last summer.
Clarity
The Gunners can turn this into a positive. It is better to know now over Upamecano, than several months down the line.
Arsenal can now re-budget their transfer funds accordingly, knowing Upamecano is not an option.
A permanent move for Pablo Mari is likely to become more of a priority.
Young Reims defender Axel Disasi is also now more pressing [The Sun], while El Gol Digital have also linked Villarreal’s Pau Torres.
Real Valladolid’s Mohamed Salisu would be another young, talented option Arsenal should consider.
Arsenal can now push ahead looking at one of these moves, while also diverting funds which could have been spent on Upamecano to other areas of the squad if a cheaper centre-back is bought.
Missing out is a blow, but Arsenal can still retrieve the situation and turn it into a positive.
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