Arsenal to demolish two-year AC Milan pursuit by signing French ace in potential steal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Italian giants AC Milan could be beaten to the signing of a French youth international by Arsenal, with a report detailing Mikel Arteta’s interest in the exciting attacker.
Arsenal went big in the summer, spending over £200million on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, while also agreeing to sign David Raya on loan with an option to buy worth a further £27m. That big summer outlay has cast doubt over whether Arsenal can afford to bolster the striker and central midfield positions during the winter window.
Arsenal are huge fans of Ivan Toney, though they will struggle to land him this month. Toney is happy to continue playing for Brentford, while Bees manager Thomas Frank insists it will take a huge bid to get his side even thinking about a possible exit.
Instead, the Gunners may be forced to go for a cheaper option, such as Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez. He could still be a very good signing though, as he has managed 21 goals in 23 appearances for Feyenoord this season.
Arsenal have also set their sights on Premier League midfielders Douglas Luiz and Amadou Onana, who represent Aston Villa and Everton respectively. But Fabrizio Romano has explained why cheaper option Martin Zubimendi may actually be a better signing.
Clearly, Arsenal need to put in a lot more work if they are to improve Arteta’s squad before the end of the month. Although, Arteta and sporting director Edu also have one eye on the club’s long-term future.
READ MORE: Double Arsenal transfer move explodes into life as Edu works overtime to get deals over the line
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, they are keeping tabs on Jean-Matteo Bahoya ahead of making a future move for the 18-year-old. He is a France U19 international who represents Angers at club level and can operate as a central attacking midfielder or left winger.
Bahoya came through the Angers academy before making his first-team debut in January 2023.
Arsenal battling AC Milan for young attacker
After gradually being integrated into the senior squad last term, Bahoya is now thriving for Angers. His record stands at five goals and two assists in 19 Ligue 2 matches, which includes strikes against Paris FC, Bastia, Bordeaux and Caen.
The attacker’s great form has helped Angers go second in the table, one point behind leaders Auxerre. Although, the French side could soon lose their prized starlet.
Arsenal are battling Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart for Bahoya. Milan have been tracking him for around two years, but Arsenal’s superior financial situation – despite their recent spending – means they must be considered frontrunners in the transfer chase.
The report adds that while Angers have yet to receive a formal offer for the teenager, several clubs have begun ‘advancing’ their negotiations in the last 24 hours. Presumably, this means Arsenal, Milan, Frankfurt and Stuttgart are all accelerating their moves to try and sign him.
It is likely that one of those clubs will agree a permanent deal for Bahoya but let him to stay at Angers on loan until the end of the season, so he can continue his great development.
There is no mention of how much Bahoya might cost, but transfermarkt put his value at just £2.1m. Therefore, if he ends up reaching his full potential, this transfer might eventually be viewed as a complete steal.
