Arsenal have reportedly made a shock attempt to hijack a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Djibril Sow, who looked set to join Lazio.
That’s according to Calciomercato, who have claimed that whilst a €15m (£12.8m) deal is close to being agreed to take Sow to Lazio, Arsenal have now entered into the race at the last minute, and are trying to hijack the deal.
The price for Sow is very affordable for Arsenal, who have spent over £200m so far in this transfer window, and the 26-year-old midfielder has been previously linked with a move to the Emirates.
Arsenal are ‘aggressively’ trying to enter the negotiations for the midfielder, who has just one year left on his deal, and perhaps this is being eyed up as a bargain opportunity for Mikel Arteta and Edu.
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Could Sow join Arsenal?
This deal does seem unlikely to happen for a number of reasons. The arrivals of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have helped strengthen the midfield following the departure of Granit Xhaka, and Thomas Partey now looks set to stay at the club.
Between Rice, Partey and Jorginho, Arsenal are well stocked with defensive midfielders, and whilst the Swiss midfielder has been impressive, having helped Frankfurt win the Europa League in 2022, he is not an upgrade on any of the current options at the club.
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Although he would arrive at a very low price, even lower than the £17m spent on Albert Sambi Lokonga, who is on the verge of leaving, there is little room for Sow in the squad, and whilst he can play as both a defensive midfielder and a more advanced option, he statistically ranks as far superior to the likes of Partey and Jorginho on the ball, indicating that he may not suit Arsenal’s possession-based style.
This link does seem like Arsenal’s name is being used as a negotiation tactic between clubs, even when Arsenal hold no concrete interest in the player, and it would be very surprising if the Gunners launched a formal bid to hijack Lazio’s deal.