According to Fussball Transfers, Arsenal are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji this summer.
It’s claimed that Arsenal initiated contact with Dortmund in January, with a view to signing Akanji during the summer transfer window.
Dortmund allegedly tried to sell Akanji last summer. Talks with Arsenal were – according to this report – ongoing, but Abdou Diallo’s move to Paris Saint-Germain meant Akanji stayed.
Arsenal haven’t forgotten about Akanji though, and they want him again this summer. Dortmund would allegedly want a fee of around €25million to €30million (£22million to £27m), but are open to selling.
It’s unclear whether Arsenal really have that money to spend. The global pandemic means that Arsneal’s budget will be hit, and they will be looking for bargain signings.
It’s hard to see them spending £20million-plus on Akanji, even if he would normally be a strong addition.
The Swiss centre back, 24, is quick and strong, whilst he still has some untapped potential. He maybe hasn’t quite lived up to his potential since his move from Basel.
Arsenal would no doubt love to bring in a new centre back, but spending that much money would be questionable. Mikel Arteta does have David Luiz, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi, whilst Pablo Mari could stay and William Saliba is coming in.
Akanji is a name to keep an eye on, but unless Arsenal sell a defender to make room for him or execute a swap deal with Dortmund, it’s hard to see this one coming off.
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