Arsenal are reporting plotting a summer move for Udinese midfielder Jakub Jankto, who has a release clause of around £6 million.
Daily Mirror are claiming that Arsenal are finally looking to step up their pursuit of Udinese midfielder Jakub Jankto. The midfielder, who is also being tailed by Napoli, Juventus and West Brom, has been scouted by Arsenal for a year now. And it seems the Gunners are finally ready to convert their interest into something concrete.
As per the report, Arsenal are plotting a summer move for Jakub Jankto as the Gunners seek to replenish their squad, especially the midfield. The Gunners have had troubles finding a stable midfield so far, with Arsene Wenger continuing to experiment with his choices in the starting eleven.
Granit Xhaka has impressed of late. But, apart from the Swiss, the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin have failed to have much of an impact and have been highly inconsistent – something that Arsenal would be looking to rectify.
According to @TuttoMercatoWeb, Arsenal have watched Udinese’s Jakub Jankto several times, but will have to fend off Inter & Juve to get him. pic.twitter.com/3tz8PfK3LW
— Messi Minutes (@MessiMinutes) April 5, 2017
However, apart from the aforementioned trio, Jack Wilshere is likely to be sold in the summer and with Santi Cazorla – injured and ageing – Arsenal are in need of reinforcements at the centre of the park.
Jankto has progressed impressively since joining Udinese from Slavia Prague in 2014. In his debut Serie A season with Udinese, the 21-year-old has managed to forge his place within the first-team setup and has been largely influential in the midfield for the Serie A outfit.
Jankto also has a return of 5 goals and 4 assists in 24 Serie A matches, which also highlights his ability to provide and create goals from the midfield. His performances have caught the eye of Juventus and Napoli – who are both eyeing a move for the player.
The player has already proven himself in the Serie A this season – which would make a move to either club highly plausible and his release clause of £6 million means Juventus and Napoli are likely to get a player of Jankto’s talents in a bargain deal.
However, there are doubts over the prospect of regular first-team football at either of these clubs, which may influence his decision. Arsenal may be able to provide Jankto with the promise of regular football in order to gain an advantage over other suitors in the chase for Jankto.
In a summer where the other top Premier League clubs are likely to be shelving monstrous amounts to get their choice of player, Arsenal may be able to get themselves a bargain deal in Jankto.
The player has been hailed as the ‘new Rosicky’ – which is likely to pique Arsenal’s interest in the player, given how successful the Czech veteran was at Emirates.
West Brom, though, might be the dark horse in the race as they may be able to guarantee a key role in the first-team setup in the Premier League. However, Arsenal are likely to power their way to Jankto, if the player does desire to move to the Premier League, especially at such a nascent stage of his footballing career.
