Arsenal’s midfield pursuit is becoming increasingly complicated.
Bruno Guimaraes is the priority, with Mikel Arteta personally driving the pursuit, and personal terms are not an issue.
But Newcastle maintain that the Brazilian is not for sale, having already lost Sandro Tonali to Tottenham.
💰 Bruno Guimaraes is turning 29 in November and has TWO years left on his contract… How much should Arsenal pay to sign him?
If a move cannot materialise, Arsenal will be forced to consider alternatives.
Now, a name they have previously been linked with has cropped back up, with Manchester United entering the race.
Manchester United enter race to sign Manu Kone
According to TEAMtalk, Manchester United have added Manu Kone to their midfield shortlist after being told Roma are willing to sell for around £50million and that the player himself is keen on a move to the Premier League.
Arsenal had distanced themselves from Kone earlier in the summer, with Fabrizio Romano reporting the club had played down links and that he was not seen as a target.
But given his impressive performances at the World Cup, things could change.
United have already complicated Arsenal’s pursuit of Guimaraes. Having agreed a £50million deal for Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos — a player who did not even make Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad — Newcastle will use that as a further reference point to drive the price up for their captain.
With the market going completely out of control at the moment, Kone at £50million might be considerably better value than most alternatives currently available.
The 25-year-old made 37 appearances for Roma last season and has been touted as France’s best midfielder by Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
Two Arsenal transfer targets go head to head in the World Cup quarter-final
Having played 90 minutes against Paraguay in the last 16, Kone is expected to start against Monaco in Thursday’s quarter-final.
Arsenal defender William Saliba will be on his side, but another midfielder linked with the Gunners will be on the other team.
18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi is a player Arsenal have been closely tracking for months, who has been hugely impressive for Morocco this summer.
👀 NAME a BETTER midfield target for Arsenal than Ayyoub Bouaddi… I bet you CAN’T…
🌟 The 18-year-old looked so good vs Brazil's at the World Cup!
Whoever impresses most could well end up altering Andrea Berta’s thinking heading into the final weeks of the window, if the Guimaraes deal doesn’t go to plan.
However, with United entering the frame for Kone, Arsenal may need to make that decision sooner than they would like.
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