Arsenal have reportedly inched one step closer to securing the services of Mario Lemina from Juventus in the summer.
According to a report in Tribal Football, Arsenal are in contact with Juventus for Mario Lemina, with the player, too, admitting that he is flattered by the North London club’s interest in him. The Gunners, thus, seem to be closing in on landing the Gabonese midfielder in the summer transfer window.
Lemina spent the first three seasons of his senior career in France, having initially progressed through the ranks at boyhood club Lorient. His time in France saw him being labelled as one of the most exciting prospects in the country and he was subsequently snapped up by Juventus in the summer of 2015.
Arsenal have made contact with Juventus over the possible transfer of Mario Lemina [@tancredipalmeri] pic.twitter.com/a68lG7Z62b
— ArsenalFanTV (@ArsenalFanTV) June 16, 2017
Lemina’s career, though, has not managed to progress much in the last two seasons as he has failed to establish himself as a regular fixture in Massimiliano Allegri’s first-team plans.
The player has made just 42 appearances for Juventus thus far, with the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio and Stefano Sturaro well ahead of him in the pecking order.
However, at this stage of his career, Lemina needs all the minutes that he can get to progress further. With the 23-year-old looking for a bigger role, several clubs have reportedly registered an interest in signing him.
But, Arsenal appear to be the front-runners, with certain reports suggesting that the North London club are even plotting an initial bid for the midfielder. In wake of the aforementioned reports, the latest developments point towards Arsenal making an approach to Juventus for the player’s signature.
Indeed, Arsene Wenger has the pressing need to bolster his options in the centre of the park following inconsistent performances from the likes of Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin in the recently concluded season.
On top of that, Jack Wilshere’s future at the Emirates is up in the air, with no progress over a possible renewal. With Santi Cazorla’s continued struggle with injuries notwithstanding, the Arsenal boss needs another option at his disposal apart from his first-choice partnership of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey.
Lemina presents himself as a viable option for the Frenchman to consider, and his quick distribution and nimble feet will certainly make him an asset for Arsenal. The move would also allow the player to resurrect his stuttering career with a more major role for a prominent club in Europe.
Thus, the prospect of making the switch to the Emirates does seem to be an enticing one for Lemina. It now remains to be seen if the Gabonese indeed leaves Juventus for Arsenal in the summer, with the Gunners making significant progress in their attempts to sign him.
