Arsenal stun Chelsea with approach for 19-goal £28m striker; he ‘doesn’t like’ Pochettino’s plan
Arsenal are set to battle Chelsea for the signature of Montpellier centre-forward Elye Wahi this summer, according to reports.
Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber have already made the switch to the Emirates. But Mikel Arteta is keen to add more players to his squad.
Wahi enjoyed a fantastic 2022/23 season with Montpellier and is touted to become a top player in the future.
It has been widely reported that Chelsea are ‘in talks’ with the French side over signing Wahi this summer.
The 20-year-old scored 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 appearances last term, along with making six assists. This gives him an impressive average of 0.76 goal contributions per match.
Pochettino is thought to be keen on the striker. However, the manager’s plan for Wahi is to loan him out to Strasbourg, rather than utilising him in the Premier League in the coming season.
According to French outlet RMC Sport, Wahi ‘doesn’t like’ this idea and would prefer to go straight into the Blues’ first team.
Chelsea are preparing a €32m (£28m) bid for the France Under-21 international. Arsenal, however, could potentially scupper their plans.
As per the report, the Gunners have now ‘enquired’ about Wahi and could potentially hijack Chelsea’s move.
As mentioned, Arteta is looking to make more additions this summer as he aims to build on an excellent 2022/23 campaign.
The Spaniard has several different names on his radar. For instance, Arteta is considering a move for Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande, as well as Wahi.
Due to FFP concerns, however, Arsenal’s current focus is on selling players before they buy anyone else.
Sporting director Edu is currently working on the sales of six players: Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares, Albert Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Rob Holding.
Their interest in Wahi is concrete, however, and he is thought to be keen on a move to the Emirates.
The question that arises, though, is whether they need to sign Wahi given they already have a proven Ligue 1 goal scorer in their ranks.
Folarin Balogun spent last season on loan with Reims, where he scored 22 goals in all competitions.
Balogun, like Wahi, wants to play consistent minutes at a high level. Arteta isn’t willing to promise him that and as a result, he is willing to sell him this summer.
Letting him go and then buying Wahi for £28m would be a questionable decision from Arsenal. Nevertheless, they are reportedly poised to battle Chelsea for his signature.
