Arsenal’s chief negotiator Dick Law was in Warsaw today to try and finalise a deal for Legia midfielder Krystian Bielik.
Bielik, 17 only joined the Polish club in the summer for a minimal fee, but he has managed to break into the first team and attract interest from around Europe with his performances.
The Gunners have already had two bids turned down, reported to be £1.6m and £2m. It is believed Legia Warsaw are holding out for around £2.5m, with the majority of that fee paid upfront.
It has been reported in Polish media that all previous negotiations with Legia had been over email. Well I suppose it is 2015, but doesn’t that seem a little informal? Anyway hopefully Law’s personal touch will be enough to smooth over negotiations and get a deal done.
Bielik is a 6ft 2 defensive midfielder, certainly a physical asset to have. Many suggest he would need to bulk up before regularly featuring in the Premier League, though.
Hamburg are also believed to hold serious interest in the teenager and the German club have told media they are confident of signing him. From Bielik’s own admission though, I think it’s pretty clear that if Arsenal came along there wouldn’t be much competition. The player wants Arsenal, but will the Gunners pay up? We will find out in the coming days.
Would you be happy if this unknown 17 year old was the only midfield signing Arsenal make this window? Have your say by commenting below.
Update: The Guardian report that a £2.4million deal was agreed between the two parties in this meeting and Bielik will join the Arsenal first team squad in the next couple of days.Â