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Arsenal in talks to sign Youssouf Fofana this summer

By on May 31, 2024

Youssouf Fofana Monaco

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly in talks to sign AS Monaco star Youssouf Fofana this summer, as per the French outlet L’Equipe.

It has widely been suggested that the Gunners are keen on strengthening their engine room by purchasing a new midfielder this summer. Numerous names have already been mentioned as serious targets with Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Zubimendi and Douglas Luiz being among them.

However, all of their primary targets are expected to cost big so, it seems the North London club have started exploring cheaper alternative options with Fofana now emerging as a serious target.

Fabrizio Romano has recently reported that the Frenchman is ‘guaranteed’ to leave Monaco this summer as he is set to enter the final year of his current contract and the two parties aren’t in contact regarding a new deal.

Now, according to the report by L’Equipe, Arsenal are interested in signing the 25-year-old and they are looking to step up their efforts to get this deal done. The report further claims that Arteta has already held talks to lure the midfielder to the Emirates Stadium with Monaco ready to let their star man leave for a fee of around £17m.

Fofana to Arsenal

Fofana is a versatile player as he can play in the defensive midfielder position but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. He is strong, dynamic, technically sound, has the ability to dribble past opposition defenders in tight areas, can play threading passes between the lines and also works hard without possession.

So, Fofana could be a cheap solution for Arsenal to reinforce their engine room if they purchase him. However, Arteta likes to have midfielders who are patient with the ball and don’t play high-risk passes.

But, Fofana might not be an ideal option to play in the Spanish boss’ system as he finished the recently concluded season with an 82% passing rate and compared to him, Declan Rice’s passing rate was 91%.

Therefore, I think Arsenal might be better off exploring other options to strengthen their midfield department. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually opt to sign Fofana ahead of next season.