Arsenal have set their sights on €50 million-rated Edmond Tapsoba as Mikel Arteta prioritises signing a centre-back in the window.
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are interested in Edmond Tapsoba, with the towering centre-back seen as a priority signing by Mikel Arteta. The Gunners failed in their chase of Lisandro Martinez and could turn their attention to the Bayer Leverkusen defender.
Edmond Tapsoba has impressed in the last couple of years by delivering consistent performances for Bayer Leverkusen. As a result, the 6ft 4in giant centre-back has been of interest to many Premier League clubs, with Arsenal set to reignite the chase of the Bundesliga-based defender.
The Gunners have been chasing a new central defender this summer, even though Mikel Arteta has four quality options available at his disposal. Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Rob Holding, and the returning William Saliba are all options at the back.
Yet, Arteta has prioritised signing a new centre-back and chased Lisandro Martinez for the better part of this window thus far. The Argentine is set to join Manchester United in the coming days after a deal was agreed with Ajax, leaving the Gunners looking for a new option.
Initially, it was believed that Arteta wanted a versatile player, and Martinez ticked plenty of boxes. Widespread reports suggested Arsenal wanted the Argentine to play left-back at times, and in that aspect, the north London club are closing in on signing Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City.
However, the latest links to Tapsoba confirm Arteta’s desire to sign a new central defender. The Bayer Leverkusen man was recently also a target for West Ham, but the lure of playing for the Gunners could be powerful enough for the centre-back to consider. Furthermore, those links to the Burkina Faso international may have suggested that Arsenal had a central role in mind for Martinez.
Tapsoba is valued at around €50 million by Bayer Leverkusen, and the Bundesliga giants might be open to selling him if the right offer arrived. Arsenal are reportedly working on the deal and could lodge a bid in the coming days. The giant centre-back was linked with Arsenal last summer, but they ended up signing Ben White.
However, if Tapsoba does end up joining the Gunners, there is a likelihood that one of the current centre-backs may be sold, possibly Rob Holding or Gabriel. The latter has attracted plenty of interest, with Juventus reportedly pushing hard to sign the Brazilian.
Gabriel is earmarked to replace Matthijs de Ligt, who is getting closer to joining Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the coming days. As for Tapsoba, he could be a solid signing for Arsenal with a long-term vision. The 23-year-old could compete with the other stars at the club, and the €50 million valuation certainly fall in the budget of the north London club.
