Arsenal are confident of signing Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.
Mikel Arteta has already brought in Gabriel Jesus from his former employees and he is now hoping to secure a deal for the Ukraine international.
According to The Athletic, the Gunners are working on a deal to bring the versatile ace to the Emirates Stadium before September’s deadline.
The report states that the clubs are currently in discussions, with the reigning Premier League champions open to selling Zinchenko providing Arsenal match their asking price.
As per the Daily Mail, City would be willing to let him leave the Etihad Stadium for £35m, which is more than 19 times Pep Guardiola’s side paid Russian outfit UFA back in 2016 (£1.8m).
The Mail believe that Arsenal face competition from Everton, West Ham and Chelsea, who have all enquired, although after missing out on Lisandro Martinez, who’s set to join Manchester United, Talbot reckons the north Londoners will get their man in Zinchenko.
What did Talbot say about Zinchenko?
He told GIVEMESPORT: “[Lisandro] Martinez does pose a bit of a risk to his price tag. I feel he’s never been a bad player, he’s not world class, but to come in and bolster the side, it does make a lot of sense. So, I imagine that will get done.”
What could Zinchenko bring to Arsenal?
If Arsenal win the race to land Zinchenko, they would be getting a classy operator, who’s predominantly a left-back, but plays in midfield for his country.
That could work well for the Gunners, though, with Dean Jones telling GiveMeSport that he wants to play further up the pitch should he make the switch to the capital.
Zinchenko is experienced on the international stage, too, winning 52 caps for Ukraine, while he’s also a proven winner in English football. In the five years he’s spent in City’s first-team, he has lifted four Premier League titles, four Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.
He wouldn’t necessarily have a nailed on spot in the team, but his potential arrival would certainly strengthen Arteta’s squad in more than one position and could save the club funds to address more pressing areas.
