Arsenal are reportedly keeping tabs on the situation of Bologna and Sweden midfielder Mattias Svanberg, whose contract runs out in 2023.
According to a report from Italian outlet Il Resto del Carlino, Arsenal are among a host of clubs interested in signing Swedish international midfielder Mattias Svanberg from Bologna in the summer.
Svanberg began his youth career at Swedish outfit Bunkeflo before switching to the academy of Malmo in January 2013. The midfielder rose through the ranks at the club and made over 40 first-team appearances before Bologna signed him in the summer of 2018. Since arriving at the Italian club, Svanberg has been a mainstay in the middle of the park.
To date, Svanberg has notched up 99 appearances for Bologna, bagging eight goals and setting up six more. The 22-year-old enjoyed a solid season last time out and has started the ongoing campaign on a strong note as well, scoring twice and assisting one goal in 12 Serie A appearances so far.
A 13-time capped Swedish international, Svanberg can play in various positions in the middle of the park. With his contract running out in 2023, the ex-Malmo ace will be entering the final twelve months of his contract in the summer, which has sparked the interest of several clubs across Europe, including Arsenal.
The Gunners strengthened their midfield unit this past summer with the signing of Albert Sambi Lokonga, who has made a positive impression so far at the Emirates. But Mohamed Elneny is expected to be on his way out imminently. Furthermore, the recurring injury issues of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka could prompt the north London outfit to invest in a new midfielder in the summer.
To that end, Arsenal have been linked with a move for Denis Zakaria of Borussia Monchengladbach, while there has also been interest in RB Leipzig’s versatile midfield enforcer, Tyler Adams. Now, Svanberg has also popped up on the radars of the north Londoners as a target for the next year.
However, the report adds that apart from Arsenal, the likes of Napoli, AC Milan, and Inter Milan are also interested in signing the 22-year-old. In addition to that, it is also claimed that Bologna may be successful in extending the midfielder’s contract at least by another twelve months, thus protecting his value.
Arsenal signed Takehiro Tomiyasu last summer, with the move working out pretty well for the Gunners. It will be interesting to see if they decide to raid the Serie A outfit in consecutive summer transfer windows.
