Arsenal are among clubs keeping a close eye on Feyenoord full-back Tyrell Malacia, who could cost around £8 million this summer.
According to an exclusive report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are in talks with Feyenoord over the signing of Tyrell Malacia. The young left-back has emerged as a target for the north London giants, with coach Mikel Arteta desperate to bolster his options in the full-back department this summer.
Malacia is expected to cost around £8 million, with Arsenal recently opening talks with the Eredivisie outfit. Although the negotiation is far from over, the youngster could become the desired replacement for Sead Kolasinac, who joined FC Schalke on loan in January and is likely to be offloaded permanently in the summer.
A product of the Feyenoord youth academy, Malacia has enjoyed a lot of success in the Eredivisie, since making his breakthrough during the 2017/18 campaign. He has, in fact, notched up 79 competitive appearances for the Dutch outfit in all competitions, with the current season seeing him become the first-choice left-back for Feyenoord.
The 21-year-old is primarily identified as an attack-minded full-back, who likes to take on the opposing defender and is capable of threading in crosses into the box. He has consistently averaged over one key pass and successful take-ons per match with his contributions on the far side helping Feyenoord remain in contention to finish inside the top three in the Eredivisie this season.
From Arsenal’s perspective, Malacia could turn out to be a useful cost-effective alternative for other top targets in the market. The Gunners are already in desperate need of reinforcements in the left-back unit, with Kieran Tierney serving as the only reliable option in the first team.
Arteta has utilised Cedric Soares on the left flank at times this season, but the Portuguese international is certainly a better fit in his preferred right-back position. He could, in fact, play a more prominent role in the Arsenal side next season, especially if the club offloads Hector Bellerin in the summer.
As for Malacia, he could serve as an excellent understudy for the injury-prone Tierney at left-back. His attacking qualities also mean that the youngster shouldn’t have any difficulties settling in under Arteta’s tactical style, and at the age of just 21, he has time as well as the room to further improve himself as a player, potentially challenging Tierney for the first-choice choice at left-back.
The Dutchman, though, is not the only young option Arsenal are currently at, with Everton prodigy Thierry Small also appearing as a target for the Gunners recently. Malacia does have the upper hand due to his experience in top-flight football and could be a bargain at £8 million, so it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga unfolds in the summer.
