Arsenal and Inter Milan are among four clubs that are reportedly keen on Atalanta centre-back Gianluca Mancini, having scouted him in recent times.
According to TransferMarketWeb, Arsenal will be looking to delve into the market in the near future, again to strengthen their defence. The Gunners are keen on Atalanta defender Gianluca Mancini, who is also on the radar of the likes of AS Roma, Inter Milan and Dortmund.
Arsenal strengthened their defence to a certain degree in the summer as Unai Emery was appointed at Emirates. Sokratis, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Bernd Leno were all brought in. The defence though, clearly needs work, as seen in the recent matches.
The most recent fixture – a 1-1 draw against Wolves – exposed the lack of pace in central defence and perhaps, a lack of real quality as well. Wolves ran the Gunners ragged, who were lucky to earn a point from the game, thanks in large portions to goalkeeper Bernd Leno, whose promptness to come off his line saved his side on numerous occasions.
Still, the central defensive options are crying out for addition of just a hinge of quality. Sokratis, Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi are the three centre-backs at Emery’s disposal right now, with Laurent Koscielny and Konstantinos Mavropanos sidelined with their respective injury issues.
Gianluca Mancini is a product of the Fiorentina academy setup but found success at fellow Italian club Perugia. The centre-back was quickly snapped up by Atalanta in January, 2017, who chose to loan the player back to Perugia for the rest of the 2016-17 season.
His debut season saw him find his feet at his new club, ending the season with 11 Serie A appearances. But, the 2018-19 campaign has gone off to a flyer for the 22-year-old. Not only has he been a regular at the back for Atalanta, but his unique ability to be prolific has endeared him to the onlookers.
4 goals and an assist in 10 games in all competitions, Gianluca Mancini is looking like the real deal and another fine product of the fabled Italian heritage of the art of defending. Naturally, the likes of Inter Milan, Dortmund, Arsenal and AS Roma are interested.
While Dortmund and AS Roma are always on the lookout for young able additions to their roster, Inter Milan might be in immediate need of reinforcements, depending on the situation surrounding their players. The Nerazzurri boast of four quality central defenders on their roster – Miranda, Stefan De Vrij, Milan Skriniar and Andrea Ranocchia.
But, Miranda is already 34 and Milan Skriniar has been linked with almost every top club in Europe. Ranocchia remains an option but is unlikely to be considered starting eleven material at a club like Inter Milan at this point of time.
A towering presence at 1.90 metres, Mancini is a dream for every club in search of a modern defender with the skillset that is also a throwback to the old art of defending. Arsenal, Inter Milan, Dortmund and AS Roma are all scouting the player, with their representatives having seen the player in action against Inter.
The good news, or perhaps, for some suitors, the opposite, is that Gianluca Mancini is just starting to spread his wings.
