BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal new January transfer target list officially out after yesterday lost to Aston Villa – as Andrea Berta identifies FOUR key target for Arteta by January amid new injury list
Arsenal are preparing to bid roughly €45m in January for a player who might not help their title challenge one bit, while Andrea Berta is reportedly going ‘all out’ to sign a forward compared to Kylian Mbappe and a recent Arsenal signing has been branded ‘Raheem Sterling 2.0’.
Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday provided a timely reminder of just how difficult it will be for The Gunners to end their 20-plus year wait for a Premier League title.
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Arsenal possess the deepest squad in the division, and if spending in January, logic would dictate they sign a player who can make an instant impact.
But according to RMC Sport, Arsenal are planning to bid for an expensive teenager who in all likelihood, won’t make any impression on their title charge.
Arsenal’s shock January signing
They claimed Mikel Arteta’s side are ‘prepared to offer around €45 million’ to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi of Lille.
The young central midfielder is already a fine player in his own right, but aged 18, it’s hard to see him assuming a prominent role from the off if arriving in January.
Nevertheless, Arsenal have set their sights on a winter window move and amid anticipated competition from Chelsea among others, Arsenal director Berta ‘is keen to move quickly.’
Contact with Bouaddi’s camp has been established, while a €45m bid could stand a decent chance of being accepted.
Lille are believed to value the teenager at €50m, though an offer of just €5m less could prove difficult to ignore once it’s put on the table.
While not making the same claims RMC Sport have, transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, did confirm Arsenal’s interest in Bouaddi when posting on X over the last 24 hours.
Andrea Berta desperate for Kenan Yildiz
Elsewhere, Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Berta and Arsenal are going ‘all out’ to sign Juventus ace, Kenan Yildiz.
The 20-year-old can play practically anywhere across the forward line and the report claims initial contact with the player’s camp has been made.
Yildiz is currently at a standstill in talks with Juve over a new and improved contract. The Turkey international is happy to resume talks and pen fresh terms in Turin, but if Arsenal come calling, all bets are off.
Fichajes claimed Yildiz would be viewed at Arsenal as the successor to Leandro Trossard, who remains a valuable member of the squad but is the wrong side of 30 and rarely starts.
Yildiz has previously been described as having ‘Mbappe-like’ ability and was named in last year’s Serie A Team of the Season despite being just 19 years of age for most of the campaign.
Rare Andrea Berta error?
Director Berta has a near-spotless record since succeeding Edu at the Emirates, though one outlet have rather harshly judged one of his summer signings to be a failure already.
Christian Norgaard – signed from Brentford for £15m (add-ons included) – has been branded ‘Raheem Sterling 2.0’ by FootballFanCast.
Explaining that claim, they stated: ‘It’s hard to see where he is going to get any game time at all.
‘The 31-year-old joined the club in July, and at the time of writing, has made just seven first-team appearances, totalling 302 minutes, of which three have been starts.
‘Worse still, he has played just 14 minutes of Premier League football this year, with 13 minutes of those coming against Burnley.
‘It’s a bizarre situation, as the 39-capped international captain of Brentford last season and ended the campaign having made 34 league appearances for them, totalling 2830 minutes.
‘Now, nobody expected the veteran midfielder to be even a semi-regular starter for the Gunners, but it seems like Arteta has no trust in him whatsoever, refusing to bring him on when Declan Rice came off against his old side.
‘There may be light at the end of the tunnel in the shape of the FA Cup for the summer signing, but even then, it feels like the manager will turn to someone else.
‘Ultimately, Nørgaard didn’t cost much, is a consummate professional, isn’t a media focus, and, in that way, isn’t really a problem for Arsenal.
‘However, it does feel like Arteta doesn’t really fancy him, and, like Sterling last season, his stint in North London will be short-lived.’
