Arsenal are reportedly prepared to rival Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski.
According to a report from La Repubblica, Arsenal are ready to step up their pursuit of Dejan Kulusevski. The Premier League giants are prepared to fork out €30 million for the forward, but it does not match Juventus’s €40 million price tag, which is why the two parties are expected to hold talks next week.
Arsenal’s attempts to sign Kulusevski, though, could serve as a massive blow for Tottenham Hotspur, the other major club interested in signing the youngster next month. The club’s managerial director Fabio Paratici has a good relationship with the player, but it remains to be seen if that would be enough to help the North London giants snap him up in January.
Paratici was the one to bring Kulusevski to Juventus at the start of last year. Although owned by Atalanta, he was coming on the back of a bright spell at Parma, and Juventus were more than willing to allow the forward to spend the remainder of the campaign at the same club. The Swede ended the season with 36 league appearances, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists.
However, the 21-year-old has not been able to make a similar impact upon his arrival at Juventus. He only scored four goals in his debut campaign last term, and this time around, he is yet to even net a single goal, falling down the pecking order under Massimiliano Allegri.
Kulusevski’s struggles in Turin has put the two North London giants on red alert, with Arsenal, in particular, determined to snap him up in the winter transfer window.
It appears the youngster has been identified as the desired target by Mikel Arteta, as he looks to prepare for life without Nicolas Pepe during the second half of the campaign. The struggling Ivorian has been linked with a move to AC Milan after failing to live up to his price tag at the Emirates.
Nevertheless, Arsenal are expected to face stiff competition from arch-rivals Tottenham, who have gained a lot of influence in Italy due to the appointments of Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte. But with the Gunners prepared to fork out €30 million for Kulusevski, Spurs need to act swiftly if they are to succeed in this pursuit.
The Lilywhites have no shortage of alternatives, though, in case they opt to set their sights on another forward. Gareth Bale, for one, remains an option for Conte, with the Real Madrid star reportedly keen on making another return to Tottenham. As for the pursuit of Kulusevski, it remains to be seen where he ends up in the January transfer window.
