Arsenal are set to face fresh competition from local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the pursuit of Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng in January.
According to Christian Falk, as relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Jerome Boateng. The Bayern Munich defender is facing an uncertain future at the club, with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign. The player himself refuses to negotiate a potential contract extension.
Arsenal were already interested in securing the services of Boateng in the upcoming January transfer window. But it appears that they could face stiff competition from their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are also keen on making a move for the defender given the fact that he can be signed on a cut-price deal come winter.
It comes as no surprise why the Lilywhites are looking for Boateng either as they had to deal with the departure of the experienced Jan Vertonghen in the summer. It was followed by the loan of Juan Foyth to Villarreal, leaving Spurs quite shallow in the defensive department.
Joe Rodon was signed from Swansea during the domestic transfer window, but the defender has not been a regular in Jose Mourinho’s first-team plans. As a result, it leaves the Portuguese tactician with only three viable options at centre-back in Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld.
As for Arsenal, they already have a bunch central defenders, especially following the summer arrival of Gabriel Magalhaes, who has already done an excellent job so far at the Emirates. Unfortunately, the Gunners are yet to find a viable partner for the Brazilian as David Luiz cannot be trusted in a four-man backline while the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers aren’t particularly reliable.
William Saliba bags a lot of promise but as a defender signed by previous manager Unai Emery, the Frenchman has unsurprisingly failed to become a part of Mikel Arteta’s plan this season. He has also shown eagerness to seal another loan move back to Saint-Etienne in January.
Boateng, in that regard, could be an ideal solution to the defensive problems for both these clubs. However, it remains to be seen whether or not Bayern Munich can manage to keep hold of his services given the fact that Bavarians also lack defensive depth in the side. A lot could depend on how the club performs in the upcoming January transfer window.
