According to The Sun, Arsenal are preparing a £20m summer move for RB Leipzig attacker Emil Forsberg, who has also previously been linked with Liverpool.
What’s the story?
Arsenal might have reached the final of the FA Cup after overcoming Manchester City last weekend, but there are still serious problems for the Gunners to address.
Arsene Wenger’s future at the Emirates Stadium has still not been decided, whilst star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are still out of contract in the summer of 2018.
Arsenal are still Arsenal, however, and there will be no shortage of players wishing to join the London outfit at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.
It is understood that Wenger is planning for next season despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, and the Frenchman has identified attacking midfield as one of the main areas that is in need of some fresh blood.
According to The Sun, Leipzig attacker Forsberg is high on the wishlist of Wenger, with the Sweden international expected to be available this summer for a figure in the region of £20m.
Would Forsberg boost Arsenal?
Statistics rarely paint a false picture, especially in football, and Forsberg’s numbers this season for a team that were expected to struggle in the Bundesliga are very impressive indeed.
The 25-year-old has scored eight times and registered 15 assists in 26 top-flight appearances during the 2016-17 campaign, with his form key in what has been a brilliant season for Leipzig.
The Sweden international, who started his career with GIF Sundsvall in his homeland, joined Leipzig from Malmo in the summer of 2015, and scored eight times during the team’s promotion-winning 2015-16 season.
Forsberg still has five years left to run on his contract at Leipzig, but Arsenal would be confident of convincing the attacker to try his hand in the Premier League next season.
The likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alex Iwobi have flattered to deceive for long spells of the season, and there is certainly room for some fresh blood in that area of the field.
It is expected to be another record-breaking European transfer window this summer, and in the grand scheme of things, £20m for a player of Forsberg’s talent and age sounds excellent business for the Gunners.
