Arsenal have reportedly made 21-year-old AS Roma forward Cengiz Under their primary summer target, with Suso being their backup option.
As per a report by The Sun, Cengiz Under is the first choice for Arsenal to bolster their attack in the summer transfer window. But, the Premier League heavyweights are also keeping their options open, with fellow Serie A attacker Suso being their backup target.
Cengiz Under arrived at AS Roma in the summer of 2017 following the sale of Mohamed Salah to Liverpool. The Turkish international was nothing short of impressive in his maiden campaign at Stadio Olimpico, finishing the campaign with a decent return of 8 goals and 2 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions.
This season, however, Under has added new elements to his game, having become a creatively adept winger. And, a tally of 6 goals and 9 assists in 25 appearances makes for an impressive reading. The player is currently out with an injury he picked up in January, but has made enough of an impression to be pursued by top clubs in Europe. In particular, Arsenal are keen.
A lack of natural wingers in his squad has forced Unai Emery to deploy a number of attackers in the wide areas while also shuffling his system around on a number of occasions. But, if widespread reports are anything to go by, the Arsenal boss is intent on correcting that in the summer transfer window.
To that end, Under has emerged as a target for the Gunners, who have reportedly decided to send scouts to the Italian capital once he is back on the field. Emery sees the 21-year-old forward as someone who can fit in a front three in a 4-3-3 as well as in the three man attacking unit behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1.
At the same time, however, it is unclear as to whether Arsenal will be able to afford the Turkish attacker, seeing as the manager will likely have a kitty of just £40 million to spend in the summer, as per The Sun. With a goalkeeper and a defender also on the North Londoners’ wishlist, according to the report, it remains to be seen if Under is affordable.
Meanwhile, the Sun also quote Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, who has claimed that Suso is also on Arsenal’s scouting list, and is a backup target, if the pursuit of Under ends up being fruitless. For now, it looks like the two Serie A superstars are the club’s top two attacking targets, with Under the priority.
It will now be interesting to see if Cengiz Under ends up making his way to Arsenal in the summer transfer window, or if the Gunners end up turning their attention towards another of their scouted forwards – Suso.
