Arsenal are in the market for a centre-back this summer.
William Saliba’s back injury has made that more pressing, with the Gunners weighing up a move for Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
However, there is a significant gap in the two clubs’ valuation of the player.
Tottenham’s £52million deal for Jan Paul van Hecke may have set a market reference point that makes Villa’s £60m valuation difficult to argue against.
Arsenal may have to turn their attention elsewhere, and one new option has emerged.
Arsenal have been offered Zeno Debast from Sporting CP
According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have been offered Sporting CP centre-back Zeno Debast via intermediaries.
Who should replace William Saliba at Arsenal if his injury rules him out for months?
The 22-year-old Belgian international is understood to be available for around €40million, considerably less than Konsa’s asking price, and has not been ruled out by Arsenal, who have looked at him before.
Debast rose through the Anderlecht academy — the same club that produced Vincent Kompany.
Like Kompany, he broke into the Belgium senior team at a young age, and is said to have shown maturity and leadership far beyond his years.
Both defenders are renowned for stepping out of the defensive line with the ball to initiate attacks directly from deep.
Primarily a right-sided centre-back, Debast has also spent a lot of time operating as a defensive midfielder.
That kind of versatility fits Mikel Arteta’s preference for hybrid defenders capable of shifting into midfield during build-up phases.
Debast consistently ranks among Europe’s top young defenders for progressive passes and diagonal distribution, averaging over 92% pass accuracy.
He has 26 senior caps for Belgium.
However, during the World Cup, Debast found himself at the centre of a strange dispute between Belgium and Sporting CP.
The Portuguese club declared him unfit for the quarter-final against Spain despite Belgium’s medical staff disagreeing.
He trained individually throughout and did not feature at the tournament. His fitness and his relationship with Sporting will need clarifying before any deal progresses.
Whether Arsenal pursue him over Konsa remains to be seen, as they are also contemplating making an approach for free agent John Stones.
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