Arsenal have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of the 19-year-old Fiorentina full-back Michael Kayode.
According to a report by Corriere dello Sport via SportWitness, Arsenal are keen on having Michael Kayode in their ranks. The 19-year-old sensation has made quite a name for himself in the ongoing season and he has been on the radar of the Gunners for a while now. But, they have suffered a huge blow as he seems all set to pen down a new deal.
Kayode was a part of the Juventus youth academy back in the day. But, things didn’t work out for him there and he ended up joining Gozzano. In the summer of 2021, he joined Fiorentina’s youth squad. The teenager has come up the ranks at the club and was promoted to their first team ahead of the 2023-24 season.
In his first season with the senior team, the Italy Under-21 star has already featured in seven matches and has been on the pitch for over 550 minutes. The full-back has even contributed with an assist. His impressive rise and exceptional performances have attracted a lot of attention.
Arsenal are one of the clubs that have been closely following him. They have been scouting him for a while now and are keen on having him in their ranks. Mikel Arteta has done wonders at Arsenal over the past few seasons. But, there are a few areas where he is still keen on reinforcement. And, the right-back position is one of them.
While Arteta has quality right-sided full-backs in his ranks, they are not attacking in nature and do not have the much-needed pace. As a result, he is keen on signing an attack-minded full-back and Kayode seems to be a perfect fit for the club.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina are well aware of Arsenal’s interest in their 19-year-old sensation. They fear that Arsenal along with other top European clubs could push for the Italy Under-21 star’s services in the winter transfer window. As a result, they were keen on extending his stay at the club.
His current deal runs out in the summer of 2025. While there was an option to extend it by another 12 months, the teenager is earning just €30,000 per year. As a result, they decided to offer him a new deal with improved wages.
According to the report, the 19-year-old has now reached a verbal agreement with the Italian club over a new deal that will run until the summer of 2028 with an annual salary of €1 million. The teenage sensation is currently on international duty with the Italian youth team and he is expected to sign the new deal when he returns to his club.
While this new contract will hamper Arsenal’s chances of signing him in the winter, they could still end up pushing for him in the summer of 2024.
