According to Il Resto del Carlino, Arsenal are interested in signing Bologna midfielder Mattias Svanberg.
What’s the story?
Well, Arsenal aren’t the only side interested in the 22-year-old.
Il Resto del Carlino add that Inter Milan, Napoli and AC Milan are also keen to sign the 13-cap Sweden international.
The Gunners should perhaps be most wary of AC Milan in this transfer battle, as their Sporting Director Paolo Maldini is a huge fan of Svanberg.
Maldini even tried to sign the Swede at the start of 2021.
In the end, Svanberg – who Bologna paid €5m (£4.3m) for – ended up staying with the Serie A side, where he has continued to impress.
The versatile midfielder has scored two goals, and has also provided one assist, in 12 appearances for Bologna this season.
It comes after Svanberg scored five goals in 34 Serie A appearances last season, while also recording two assists.
Arsenal can get Mattias Svanberg information from Takehiro Tomiyasu
Interestingly, Arsenal have already done some shopping in Bologna recently.
The Gunners handed the Italian side £16m for Takehiro Tomiyasu back in August, so it’s entirely feasible that Svanberg also caught Edu’s eye on scouting trips.
In our view, Mikel Arteta should ask Tomiyasu for the lowdown on the Swede, before making Bologna an offer.
After all, the 26-cap Japan international shared a pitch with Svanberg on 45 occasions before joining Arsenal, so the pair certainly know each other well.
Could that be the difference in Arsenal beating AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli to his signature? Only time will tell.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
