Arsenal are one of several clubs showing an interest in one of Europe's most in-form defenders ahead of the summer transfer window.
Arsenal's summer transfer plans
2023/24 has been another impressive campaign for Mikel Arteta and his Gunners. With just over a month of the season to go, the north Londoners are firmly in the Premier League title race and may end the weekend top of the table once more. A key reason for Arsenal's success this term has been their solid backline, with just 24 goals conceded in 31 league games at the time of writing. This is the best record in the division and an impressive eight less than the current Premier League holders, Manchester City.
Though Arsenal are playing excellent football this season, Gunners fans will no doubt believe their side can still be improved upon this summer as the north Londoners continue their journey back to the top of English football.
In this vein, Arsenal have already seemingly begun preparing for a hectic summer transfer window, with several major names already tipped for a move to the Emirates. Fabrizio Romano shared an update on Arsenal's interest in £120,000-per-week Newcastle United star Alexander Isak earlier this week.
“Alexander Isak is another Newcastle player attracting interest, and Arsenal have always appreciated him, even when he was at Real Sociedad. They’ve been scouting him for a while and he’s considered a really talented striker, and with the style they have I think he’s appreciated as a good fit for that style."
Elsewhere, Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly made Arsenal his "first choice" club if he is to leave Sporting this summer, while reports in Spain claim Arsenal are interested in AC Milan winger, Rafael Leao.
But while it is seemingly their forward line Arsenal are looking to improve the most during the upcoming transfer window, fresh reports this week suggest Arteta is also eager to sure up what is already a very solid defence.
Arsenal eye left-back with 15 assists
According to FootballTransfers, Bayer Leverkusen left-back Alejandro Grimaldo is admired by Arsenal, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich ahead of the 2024 summer transfer window.
Grimaldo, called "very intelligent" by Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, is under contract with the unbeaten German outfit until 2027 and is currently valued at €45m by Transfermarkt, though FootballTransfers report that the exact price demanded for the 28-year-old has not been revealed.
If his current form is anything to go by, however, Arsenal and any other interested parties may have to pay a pretty penny for the former Benfica star. Grimaldo has spent much of 2023/24 operating on the left of a back-five for his current club. During that time he has scored 11 and assisted 15 in 41 games across all competitions.
Arsenal's current left-back options pale in comparison, with Oleksandr Zinchenko securing just one goal and two assists in 32 games this term and Jakub Kiwior providing one goal and three assists when deployed on the left of Arsenal's back-four, making this one to watch over the coming months.
