Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are determined to bring a new centre-back to the Premier League – Marseille’s Ligue 1 star Boubacar Kamara could be the man.
Arsenal are keen to sign £28 million rated Boubacar Kamara this summer but, according to FootMercato, the young Frenchman could opt to stay and hone his talents at Marseille instead.
A versatile 20-year-old who is as comfortable in centre midfield as he is at centre-half appears to be stuck in the middle of an England-wide tug-of-war. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and West Ham have been linked already with a £28 million starlet who has gone from strength to strength under Andre Villas-Boas this season.
Arsenal are in the race too but it remains to be seen if they are on a hiding to nothing.
Academy graduate Kamara would prefer to stay at the Stade Velodrome for at least another year after all. Furthermore, with funds tight at the Emirates, questions will be asked about whether The Gunners would really invest £28 million on a promising if unproven youngster.
Then again, that does not mean the France U21 international is certain to stay on the other side of the Channel beyond the summer.
It is well documented that Marseille need to raise funds to avoid potential Financial Fair Play sanctions and the ongoing global health crisis has only worsened the situation.
The likes of Maxime Lopez, Morgan Sanson, Kevin Strootman and Valere Germain are all expected to go and, if Marseille receive an offer they cannot refuse, Kamara’s future could be taken out of his hands.
Speaking to FootMarseille recently, Villas-Boas compared Kamara to Marquinhos and current Arsenal defender David Luiz due to his technical skills and his ability to shine in a deep-lying midfield role.
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