Arsenal may have found the perfect player to provide competition to Bukayo Saka on the right wing.
Mikel Arteta’s side are on the market to strengthen multiple areas of their squad. They need better players to pip Manchester City to the Premier League title after falling short two seasons in a row.
All eyes will be on players who can come in and start right away, but Arsenal need top-quality options off the bench too, which is something they lack compared to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Now, a report has claimed that Arsenal’s interest in one player is the ‘most concrete’ despite links to Bayern Munich and Liverpool this summer.
Arsenal really want to sign Johan Bakayoko
Johan Bakayoko has been linked with a move away from PSV Eindhoven for quite some time now.
The 21-year-old is one of the most talented young players in the Eredivisie. He played a huge part in helping them win the Dutch league title last season and is now expected to move to a bigger club.
Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move to sign Bakayoko for a long time now, with the young winger tipped by many to be the heir to Mohamed Salah’s throne at Anfield.
However, Arne Slot’s side are not the club with the ‘most concrete’ interest in Bakayoko – it’s Arsenal.
That’s according to GVA, who have revealed that Arsenal want to sign Bakayoko ahead of both Bayern Munich and Liverpool this summer.
The winger played twice against the Gunners in the 2023/24 season in the group stage of the Champions League. He must have caught Arteta’s eye in those games.
The report claims that Bakayoko has the profile that suits Arsenal’s system, but any transfer is likely to happen after Euro 2024.
PSV, however, want £38 million for their star attacker to leave this summer.
Bakayoko plays just like an Arsenal player
Arsenal have very good attackers, but Bukayo Saka is undoubtedly their best player in their frontline.
The Englishman scored 20 goals and provided 14 assists in what was a really productive 2023/24 campaign. He is among the best right-wingers in the world.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, they do not have a like-for-like replacement for Saka in their squad – that’s where Bakayoko comes in, who has been described as PSV’s version of the Arsenal number seven.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash against PSV, Adrian Clarke said in 2023: “There’s a player on the right wing, their most exciting player and most dangerous player is the right winger. A kid called Johan Bakayoko.
“He’s only 20 (now 21), he’s quick, he’s like Saka, he’s their version of Saka. He plays off the right and is left-footed, so we have to be careful.”
Bakayoko’s talent is unquestionable and the fact that he is still only 21 means he will only get better in the coming years. That makes him perfect for Arsenal, where he will not just be a backup to Saka but will also push the England winger to a higher level.