Arsenal have kickstarted their plans for the summer transfer window as Benfica winger Andrija Zivkovic emerges as a potential target.
According to a report on Sport Witness, Arsenal are heavily tracking Benfica winger Andrija Zivkovic and could bring the Serbian in the next transfer window to the Emirates. Arsenal’s scouts in Portugal have regularly watched the Serbian in action during Benfica games.
After a great window in January which saw Arsenal recruit three new players, including former Borussia Dortmund pair, midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gunners are pushing ahead with their plans for the summer window quite early, after reports of regular scouting work in Portugal.
Arsenal scouts and their target, however, is a 21-year old winger from Serbia playing for Benfica. Andrija Zivkovic has been with Benfica since the start of the 2016/17 season.
The Gunners have been active in the January market recruiting as well offloading stars. The window saw some big names leave the Emirates with Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin and Alexis Sanchez departing. Arsenal, however, did sign Mkhitaryan from Manchester United and Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.
It seems that they could see a lot of new faces come in the summer, and it is suggested that Zivkovic could be one of them. The Serbian mainly plays as a right winger, but at times has slotted into midfield positions — a versatile nature, something that Arsene Wenger loves in players.
Zivkovic is only 21-years old and is already semi-regular performer for Benfica. In the 2016 summer, he completed his transfer from Spartak Moscow to Benfica and in his first season notched up 11 assists in all competitions playing 24 times for the Portuguese club. A form that led to Manchester United keeping track of the youngster’s progress.
Zivkovic, however, in today’s standards for a winger or attacker has scored an alarmingly lower number of goals in the last two seasons. While in his first season he scored only once and this season has not been any better as again the Serbian has only one goal to his name in eight league appearances.
The latest report claims that Arsenal scouts were present for Benfica’s game against Rio Ave, which the Portuguese giants won by an astonishing 5-1 score, and Zivkovic played in a midfield role rather than his usual winger position.
It is still unsure if Arsenal have more players on watch in Portugal, but it is sure they are watching the Serbian winger closely. Whether or not an Arsenal bid materialises in the summer, Zivkovic, for his performances and future promise is set to attract interest from other clubs as well.