Arsenal are rumoured to be interested in taking AC Milan’s on-loan star Brahim Diaz to the Emirates this summer while the Spaniard has been likened to none other than Lionel Messi in the past, which could make the transfer a very exciting proposition. Diaz has previously worked with Mikel Arteta at Manchester City, as the two could be reunited with the Gunners boss looking to bolster his squad for next season.
Arteta has seen first-hand the quality that Diaz possesses in forward areas, which prompted Real Madrid to sign him in 2019. However, he struggled to get into the starting lineup and is currently in the third year of his loan to AC Milan, while the Serie A club do have an option to sign him permanently.
Arsenal would likely have to negotiate directly with Real Madrid in order to sign the bright 23-year-old, but Corriere dello Sport have claimed that Arteta’s outfit are interested in bringing Diaz to the Emirates and help him live up to the ‘next Messi’ tag.
While coming up through the Manchester City academy, his team-mate Edward Francis at the time was so impressed he compared Diaz to the legendary Argentine. “He is strong with his left and right foot, he is definitely a big player for us,” Francis told GOAL in 2017.
“In the Premier League, we can compare him with Eden Hazard, but he is a bit like Messi in the way he dribbles. It’s good to have a player like him in the team.”
The report claims that Milan negotiated a £19.5million option to buy in Diaz’s loan contract, but hope to lower it in further negotiations with the La Liga giant. Arsenal could have a financial advantage in a potential bidding war, especially if Stefano Pioli’s side do not qualify for next season’s Champions League, as the Gunners are reportedly set to open negotiations and present an offer to Real Madrid.
If Diaz were to join Arsenal, he would not be the only player at the club to have been compared to Messi as they broke onto the scene. Martin Odegaard was one of the most hyped teenagers in football and shared the same expectation, but similar to Diaz also struggled in Madrid.
Arteta was able to turn the Norwegian into one of the most influential players in the Premier League as he has begun to live up to the tag, Diaz will hope that under the Spanish boss he can have a similar trajectory despite the competition for places.
Diaz impressed in Milan’s recent Champions League tie against Tottenham, possibly already putting himself in the good books of his next employers’ supporters.
