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Arsenal could beat PSG in the race to sign Milan Skriniar

By Ritayan Chatterjee on December 30, 2022

Arsenal could reportedly beat Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, as per the Italian outlet Calciomercato.

The 27-year-old joined the Serie A giants back in 2017 from fellow Italian club Sampdoria for a fee of around £28m. The Slovak has enjoyed an impressive spell over the past few years at the San Siro and he has established himself as one of the best central-defenders in Europe. He aided Inter in lifting their 19th league title in 2020/21.

The defender is set to enter the final six months of his current contract and he is yet to renew his deal with the Nerazzurri. The situation has alerted several clubs who are eyeing a move for the Slovak international.

It was previously reported that PSG are the most interested club in taking advantage of the Inter man’s contract issue and the Ligue 1 giants were touted as favourites to sign Skriniar in a cut-price deal next month.

However, according to the report by Calciomercato, Arsenal are looking to reinforce their backline and Skriniar’s name is high on Mikel Arteta’s wishlist.

Milan Skriniar to Arsenal

The report further claims that the Gunners could overtake PSG in the race to sign the Inter star for a cut-price deal in January or for free next summer if the 27-year-old doesn’t sign an extension.

Previously David Ornstein reported that Arsenal are looking to strengthen their attacking department this summer and both Mykhaylo Mudryk and Joao Felix are on their radar.

The Gunners have already submitted a formal £55m proposal to sign the Ukrainian but Shakhtar have rejected the bid as they are asking a fee of around £85m.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid have also slapped a big price tag on Felix. So, it is highly unlikely that the Gunners will have enough financial power to sign both Mudryk and Felix – who are seemingly the priority targets – along with Skriniar this January.

Therefore, signing Skriniar – valued at around £53m by Transfermarkt – for free next summer is a more likely scenario for Arsenal if the defender decides not to sign an extension at Inter. It will be interesting to see whether Arsenal will be able to lure the highly talented defender to the Emirates Stadium next year.