Arsenal have upped their interest in Bolton defender Rob Holding by almost doubling their initial offer that was rejected earlier in May.
The Gunners had been unsuccessful with a £750,000 bid for the Bolton player of the season, but now appear to be serious about their interest and have followed up with an improved £1.2million + bonuses bid, although it is unlikely to be enough, according to the Daily Mail.
Bolton want a £4million up front fee, although they acknowledge that it is unlikely they’ll receive that with the player pushing for a move and only having one year left on his current deal.
It is understood that Arsenal would be looking to loan Holding out immediately after signing him and probably to a Championship club, a division where he excelled for a terrible Bolton side last season.
Holding is described as a young and confident leader by Bolton fans and a player who likes to play out from the back but doesn’t take unnecessary risks – sounds good to me. Of course Holding would currently be a long way from the Arsenal first team but adding young quality to the squad, particularly in defensive areas will always be beneficial for Arsenal. It looks like Arsenal could seal the deal if they up the offer a bit more, perhaps £2million + bonuses – that’s a relatively risk-free amount for a young English player who should have resale value should he not make the cute at The Emirates.