Arsenal have reportedly entered the race to sign Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella this summer and are even willing to offer two players in exchange – Takehiro Tomiyasu and Folarin Balogun.
That’s according to Italian outlet CalcioMercatoWeb, who claim that the two Gunners stars are no longer a part of Mikel Arteta‘s plans for the upcoming season.
Arsenal are ready to offer Folarin Balogun and Takehiro Tomiyasu in swap deal to sign Nicolo Barella
Arsenal have brought in three amazing players this summer – Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. We’re about to add David Raya to the mix as well, but we’re not done just there.
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There’s still a chance Arsenal could sign another midfielder before the window shuts, especially if Thomas Partey ends up leaving in the coming weeks.
CMW have claimed today that the £68m-rated Nicolo Barella is on the Gunners’ radar, and Edu is apparently willing to offer two Arsenal players in a swap deal to get this done – Tomiyasu and Balogun.
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It has been clear for a while now that Balogun has no future at Arsenal. He has been heavily linked with a move away, and Inter are said to be really keen to sign him.
Tomiyasu, on the other hand, is expected to play a part for us this season, but following Jurrien Timber’s arrival, he has fallen down the pecking order. That may well be why there are rumours about his future.
On paper, this deal looks very, very attractive, but we just can’t see it happening.
The Insider’s View:
Arsenal’s midfield is sorted for now, isn’t it?
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are undisputed starters, while Thomas Partey has shown in the last two games just how important he can be against the big sides.
We have Jorginho, Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe available as well, which means there’s very little chance we’ll be signing a new midfielder this summer – unless someone leaves.
Nicolo Barella, who played a massive part in helping Inter reach the final of the Champions League last season, would be a very interesting option for Arsenal, but we just can’t see him being available in a straight swap deal for Balogun and Tomiyasu.
However, football is a funny game and anything can still happen.