Verbal agreement reached today: Arsenal set to complete the signing of £30m Croatian defender – Official announcement imminent
According to Corriere dello Sport (via SportWitness), Arsenal have entered the race to sign Dinamo Zagreb defender Josip Sutalo.
The Gunners have been busy in the summer transfer window and they have already secured three signings in Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. Their spending spree could continue in the coming weeks and Corriere dello Sport claim that they are looking to sign another centre-back.
As per the Italian outlet, Sutalo is on their radar and the club could have the upper hand over Fiorentina in the pursuit. The Serie A outfit recently made a £13 million bid for the 23-year-old, but the offer was rejected by Zagreb. The Croatian club are now eyeing £22m with Arsenal joining the hunt.
Talented player
Sutalo has developed into a quality centre-back over the past couple of seasons. He is now an automatic starter in Croatia’s defence alongside Josko Gvardiol. His progress has caught the eye of Arsenal, who could be aiming to add more depth.
The London giants are currently loaded with central defensive options. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are the first choices. Jakub Kiwior, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Rob Holding and Auston Trusty can provide back-up.
However, White, Timber and Tomiyasu are considered as full-backs by manager Mikel Arteta while there is a huge possibility that Holding and Trusty could make way from the club between now and the end of the summer transfer window.
This could be a prime reason behind the interest in landing Sutalo. The Croatia international would be a good piece of investment for Arsenal. He is good with the ball at his feet. He likes to engage in challenges as well as make clearances.
Sutalo would be ideally suited for the Premier League with his strong physical and aerial presence. For the price mentioned, Arsenal could be tempted to secure a deal once they manage to recoup funds from the sale of out-of-favour stars.
