Thursday, March 28, 2024

Report: Arsenal aiming to beat Manchester United to another signing of exciting midfielder

Arsenal love shopping in Lille!

According to French outlet FootMercato, they claim to have information that Arsenal are ‘clearly in the running’ to sign Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare. They say Arsenal have been following the player for some time, and his profile interests them.

Soumare could be viewed as an alternative to Thomas Partey. It seems Atletico are unwilling to budge on their valuation of Thomas (his £45million release clause). Arsenal may look to Soumare for better value.

Back in 2017 Soumare was tracked by the likes of Juventus and other big European clubs. He opted to sign for Lille and following a string of impressive performances at the heart of midfield, it was only a matter of time before that interest would return.

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Lille have already made some major sales this summer. First Osimhen to Napoli and now defender Gabriel is set to join Arsenal. However, if the money is right, they could also part with Soumare. Back in January RMC Sport (via GFFN) said that Lille were open to selling the midfielder.

Winning the race for Soumare would not be easy – with Manchester United and AC Milan amongst the other clubs listed with interest.

Soumare is just 21-years-old but has impressed consistently in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League. He’s already played over 50 games for Lille and is known for his combative style of play and his ability on the ball. He’s also very physically developed for his age (much like Saliba and Gabriel), the Frenchman stands at 6ft 2′ and plays with confidence and strength.

In terms of weaknesses, concentration and positioning can sometimes be an issue.

But Soumare is certainly an exciting talent. This could be one to watch as the Gunners try to remould their midfield.

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