Arsenal could offer Hale End gem in shock swap deal for player Unai Emery ‘loved’

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The future of Arsenal academy gem Charlie Patino is unclear, as the midfielder has been linked with a number of clubs.

Patino is currently on loan at Swansea City, but Juventus have reportedly registered their interest in recent days.

The 20-year-old is thriving on loan at Swansea, having joined them on loan after making a u-turn on his desire to leave Arsenal permanently.

The signings of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz this summer have meant that Patino may struggle to break into the Arsenal midfield, and this will be even more difficult if they make further signings in the January window, with Joao Palhinha linked.

Arsenal could offer Charlie Patino in shock swap deal

Arsenal have been linked with a host of strikers including Ivan Toney, and Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia is now the latest name to be touted with a move to the Emirates.

Whilst his side are bottom of Serie A, Dia has scored four times, in addition to his 16 strikes in 33 games last season.

Italian outlet Salernotize has now claimed that Arsenal are willing to offer £13m, as well as Patino, in exchange for Dia.

Could Arsenal sign Boulaye Dia?

This would be a very unexpected deal, and one which seems unlikely to happen in the January window. Mikel Arteta would likely be unwilling to let Patino go so easily, and Dia would be an underwhelming addition at centre-forward despite his good form last season.

Dia joined Salernitana on an initial loan deal from Villarreal, whom he joined under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

Emery once praised the player, highlighting that he was “loved” in the Villarreal dressing room.

“In the dressing room, he’s loved because of his humility and because he’s fully implicated at all times,” Emery stated of Dia in December 2021.

It was Emery who then benched and eventually loaned Dia out from Villarreal, who may now regret the decision given his good form, but nevertheless, he is not a player who can usurp Gabriel Jesus from the starting lineup at Arsenal.

Patino’s future is up in the air as it stands, but if Arsenal do end up losing the talented youngster, they will hope to gain a substantial fee for him given his good loan spells, in a similar way to that of Folarin Balogun, who joined Monaco this summer after an excellent season at Stade De Reims on loan.