Arsenal in race with Chelsea to sign Argentine sensation, Edu Gaspar has one key advantage

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal have shown a willingness to invest in youth in recent transfer windows. 

The likes of Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, and Albert Sambi Lokonga, amongst others, were all brought to Arsenal whilst still in the relatively early stages of their career.

Whilst Mikel Arteta’s squad is peppered with experience, provided by the likes of Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and Raheem Sterling, overall it is a young group at the Emirates Stadium. 

This is a trend that will likely continue as the Spanish coach and sporting director Edu Gaspar will already be devising plans to take the squad to the next level. 

The rumour mill is already gathering pace ahead of the January transfer window. In terms of outgoings, Arsenal are expected to sell Jakub Kiwior.

Meanwhile, Arteta could finally sign Marc Guehi, as Crystal Palace may be forced to sell the England international centre-back, having failed to convince him to pen a new deal at Selhurst Park. 

On top of that, the Gunners are now also in the race to sign Santiago Castro.

• READ MORE: Every player linked to and from Arsenal in the summer 2024 transfer window

Arsenal and Chelsea keen on Santiago Castro

As reported by Caught Offside: “Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest have all been closely monitoring him in recent times, and were left impressed with what they saw.”

Castro has made an impressive start to the new campaign. The 20-year-old Bologna gem has caught the eye with his performances in Serie A and the Champions League, and has already netted three times this season.

The Argentine clearly has huge potential, and looks to be on the precipice of taking his game to the next level. It is possible that Arteta views Castro as the ideal figure to come and provide back up to Kai Havertz, especially with the misfiring Gabriel Jesus struggling to impress.

Why Edu Gaspar has edge in Castro transfer race

Whilst a host of other Premier League clubs are keen on the Argentine under-20 international, Edu has existing contacts that he can call upon to help facilitate a deal. 

Arsenal have conducted significant business with Bologna recently, having signed both Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu from the Italian side.

This suggests that the Gunners enjoy a positive relationship with the club, which could help them to overcome any hurdles in the negotiations over a deal for Castro.