SETTABLOID

Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing the Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old French midfielder has done quite well for the Ligue 1 club and his performances have seen him linked with a move to the Premier League in the past as well.

It is no secret that Arsenal need midfield reinforcements and the Monaco midfielder could be the ideal acquisition for them. He will add defensive cover, physicality and drive to the midfield.

The 25-year-old could form a solid partnership with Declan Rice at the heart of the midfield. According to a report from L’Equipe, Arsenal have already established contact with the player regarding a summer move and it will be interesting to see if Arsenal decide to come forward with an official proposal to sign him during the summer transfer window.

The Gunners missed out on the league title once again and they will be desperate to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title next year. They will need to improve their squad during during this summer window and signing a quality midfielder should be one of their priorities.

Youssouf Fofana would improve Arsenal

Fofana has the quality to do well in the Premier League and he could be a useful acquisition for Arsenal. He is capable of operating a central midfielder, a defensive midfielder as well as a wide midfielder.

Arsenal certainly have the financial resources to convince the French outfit to sell the player. A move to England will be an exciting step up in Fofana’s career and he will look to prove himself at the highest level. Convincing the player to join the club is unlikely to be difficult, and Arsenal must look to convince Monaco now.

The Gunners are one of the biggest clubs in the world right now and the opportunity to play for them will be hard to turn down for most players. It remains to be seen whether they can bring in the right additions during the summer transfer window and compete for major trophies once again.

Arsenal have reportedly initiated discussions with representatives of AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana as they look to bolster their midfield options for the upcoming season.

The 25-year-old French international has emerged as a key target for the Gunners, who face stiff competition from several top European clubs. Sources indicate that while preliminary talks have taken place between Arsenal and Fofana’s camp, formal negotiations have yet to begin.

This suggests that Arsenal may be testing the waters ahead of a potential summer transfer. Any concrete moves are expected to be delayed until after Fofana’s participation in the upcoming Euros.

Fofana was a pivotal figure for Monaco this season, featuring in 35 matches, scoring four goals, and providing four assists. His contract with the Ligue 1 side runs until 2025, making him an attractive prospect for several top European clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, and AC Milan, all of whom have shown interest.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly in talks to sign AS Monaco star Youssouf Fofana this summer, as per the French outlet L’Equipe.

It has widely been suggested that the Gunners are keen on strengthening their engine room by purchasing a new midfielder this summer. Numerous names have already been mentioned as serious targets with Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Zubimendi and Douglas Luiz being among them.

However, all of their primary targets are expected to cost big so, it seems the North London club have started exploring cheaper alternative options with Fofana now emerging as a serious target.

Fabrizio Romano has recently reported that the Frenchman is ‘guaranteed’ to leave Monaco this summer as he is set to enter the final year of his current contract and the two parties aren’t in contact regarding a new deal.

Now, according to the report by L’Equipe, Arsenal are interested in signing the 25-year-old and they are looking to step up their efforts to get this deal done. The report further claims that Arteta has already held talks to lure the midfielder to the Emirates Stadium with Monaco ready to let their star man leave for a fee of around £17m.

Fofana to Arsenal

Fofana is a versatile player as he can play in the defensive midfielder position but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. He is strong, dynamic, technically sound, has the ability to dribble past opposition defenders in tight areas, can play threading passes between the lines and also works hard without possession.

So, Fofana could be a cheap solution for Arsenal to reinforce their engine room if they purchase him. However, Arteta likes to have midfielders who are patient with the ball and don’t play high-risk passes.

But, Fofana might not be an ideal option to play in the Spanish boss’ system as he finished the recently concluded season with an 82% passing rate and compared to him, Declan Rice’s passing rate was 91%.

Therefore, I think Arsenal might be better off exploring other options to strengthen their midfield department. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually opt to sign Fofana ahead of next season.

Arsenal have been handed a major transfer boost as one of their top targets has reportedly given the move the green light.

The Gunners are on the lookout for a young striker this summer, with Eddie Nketiah set to leave the club.

Kai Havertz ended up playing through the middle in his first season at the Emirates and performed well.

But Mikel Arteta is believed to be desperate for a natural number nine and RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is at the very top of the shortlist.

The 21-year-old has attracted interest from a whole host of clubs, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and sides in Italy.

However, according to John Cross of The Mirror, Arsenal are leading the race for the Slovenian striker, whose preference is to join the North London outfit.

Sesko’s agent Elvis Basanovic has been spotted at Arsenal matches this season but he has also been in the stands at Old Trafford.

Sesko is rated at £45 million and has just come off the back of an 18-goal season with Leipzig.

He has been described as a “better finisher” than Erling Haaland, another giant striker who made his name with the Red Bull outfit.

Sesko has only spent one season with Leipzig, arriving from sister club Red Bull Salzburg – who he had been with since the age of 16.

But the club are willing to sell him and make a decent amount of profit on a player they bought for €24 million.

He is not the only striker Arsenal are looking at, with Brian Bobbey of Ajax and Brighton’s Evan Ferguson believed to be in the mix.

Ivan Toney and Alexander Isak have been heavily linked but Arsenal’s interest is said to have dropped.

Sesko appears to be well in the frame and Arsenal will get another good look at him at Euro 2024, where he will face England in the group stages.

The Gunners are currently assessing their midfield options and there is a possibility that Thomas Partey could head for the exit door with his contract expiring in 13 months.

However, Arsenal are not alone with Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan also in contact to sign the former Strasbourg man, who is valued at around £26 million.

Fofana will enter the final year of his contract from July. Monaco are more than willing to sell him, but L’Equipe claim that a transfer is highly unlikely before Euro 2024.

FOFANA IS NOT AN UPGRADE ON PARTEY

Partey was a regular in the starting line-up during the final phase of the season, but Arsenal could cash in on him due to his injury problems over the last four years.

He has missed over 70 games during his time at the Gunners and the hierarchy could decide to sell rather than losing him on a free transfer at the end of next season.

Fofana has been linked with the Gunners but he won’t be an upgrade on Partey in our view.

The 25-year-old had a passing accuracy of only 82 per cent last term, far less than Partey (90 per cent).

Fofana made more recoveries (7.2) than the 30-year-old (four) but he was poor in possession.

He lost possession on a staggering 14 occasions per game last term which is significantly more than Partey (six). This is a potential warning sign for the Gunners.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will want someone who can control and distribute efficiently from midfield. Fofana’s frantic playing style would not suit the Spaniard.

The Mirror now claim that Arsenal are in pole position to sign the 20-year-old. The former Red Bull Salzburg man has said ‘yes’ which is a huge boost for the Gunners.

SESKO WOULD BE A FANTASTIC SIGNING FOR THE GUNNERS

Sesko joined Leipzig from Red Bull Salzburg last summer and was a regular from the bench at the start of the season due to the presence of Lois Openda and Yussuf Poulsen.

However, the Slovenian became a regular after the turn of the year under manager Marco Rose. He ended the season with 18 goals after scoring in each of his last seven games.

Sesko averaged a goal in every 114 minutes for Leipzig. In our view, he would be a fantastic signing due to his clinical ability up front. He had a shot-to-goal conversion rate of 30 per cent.

His conversion rate is better than Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah as well as Kai Havertz. The latter only converted 19 per cent of his shots to goal during his debut season at Arsenal.

Unlike Havertz, Sesko is not known for his ball-playing ability, but the Gunners would not mind so long as he can find the net. Bundesliga have compared his playing style to Erling Haaland.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have established contact with Youssouf Fofana over a potential transfer to the Emirates in the summer.

According to a report from L’Equipe, Arsenal are looking at ways to further reinforce their squad ahead of next season. Their manager Mikel Arteta is desperate to add another world-class midfielder to his team and Youssouf Fofana is one of their targets with the Frenchman potentially available for a cut-price fee.

Fofana’s time at Monaco to end soon

Fofana joined AS Monaco in the winter of 2020 from RC Strasbourg and he has only gone from strength to strength since. The midfielder has established himself as a mainstay in the French club’s first team and his consistent performances have also earned him a spot in France’s Euro 2024 squad.

Arsenal keen on Fofana’s services

Arsenal are the ones looking to make the most out of the situation. Mikel Arteta’s team have fallen short of the league title in each of the last two seasons and they now want to further bolster their squad in an attempt to get their hands on the silverware.

Arteta feels signing another top-quality midfielder will help them take the next step. He wants someone who can form a double pivot in the midfield alongside Declan Rice and Fofana could be an ideal fit. The 25-year-old is capable enough to feature as a defensive midfielder as well as a bit further up the pitch.

The Gunners have already held talks with the player’s representatives as they look to land him at the club. While they have held discussion, nothing concrete has happened yet and the race for his signature remains wide open for other interested clubs.