Premier League bigwigs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are keeping close tabs on Bologna youngster and Scottish whizkid Aaron Hickey.
According to 90min, a host of top Premier League clubs are interested in Bologna’s Scottish starlet Aaron Hickey and have sent scouts to monitor the 19-year-old’s progress closely.
A youth product of the Hearts academy in his homeland Scotland, Hickey reportedly turned down German giants Bayern Munich in order to seal a move to struggling Serie A outfit Bologna in 2020 to play regular first-team football.
It was a bold move for the young Scotsman considering he was only 18 years old at the time. His decision to join Bologna has benefited him greatly. After an injury-ridden maiden season in Italy, the 19-year-old is truly blossoming this term and has earned a lot of plaudits for his stand-out displays.
He has been a regular fixture in Bologna’s starting XI and has really thrived as a wing-back in Sinisa Mihajlovic’s 3-4-1-2 system. He is constantly bombing forward to provide an attacking outlet and has contributed with 4 goals and 1 assist from 26 Serie A appearances so far this season. As a result, he has recently been rewarded with his first senior Scotland call-up.
Hickey’s glowing performances have not gone unnoticed in the Premier League, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all keeping a close track of the player’s situation at Bologna.
While the Gunners have Kieran Tierney and Nuno Tavares as options at left-back, Hickey may be regarded as a stronger backup than the latter. His versatility would also make him a useful squad player, especially if Mikel Arteta decides to sell right-back Cedric Soares.
Chelsea wanted to sign a left-back in the January window, as Thomas Tuchel needed cover in the position after Ben Chilwell’s injury. With Emerson Palmieri expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer and Marcos Alonso’s long-term future in doubt, the Blues would benefit by adding someone of Hickey’s potential to their squad.
Like Arsenal, Liverpool have long admired Hickey’s talents but have good options down the left side at present. A left-back by trade, Hickey is fairly two-footed and can also cover on the right. This might make him an attractive target for Liverpool, who are on the look-out for cover to Trent Alexander-Arnold as Neco Williams could continue on loan at Fulham next season as well.
As for Manchester United, Luke Shaw has massively under-performed this campaign, while backup Alex Telles has also not done anything to suggest he is the solution either. Furthermore, they are ready to offload right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the summer, making Hickey a viable target and a potential long-term fix.
Apart from interest from the English clubs, Hickey is still on the radar of Bayern Munich, while Juventus and Napoli are also considering bids to keep the prodigious talent in the Serie A. The 19-year-old is said to be enjoying life in Italy and is under contract at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara until 2024.
