Arsenal are keeping tabs on Federico Dimarco as Mikel Arteta widens his search for a new defender in the market.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Federico Dimarco is attracting the interest of Arsenal, as the Inter Milan star has emerged as a transfer target for the north London side. Mikel Arteta has been widening his search for a new defender to compete for different positions as the Gunners ponder an approach for the Italian.
Federico Dimarco finally has a season under his belt in which he can measure his progress at Inter Milan. For years since he was promoted from the youth sides, the full-back has been sent on numerous loans. Finally, under Simone Inzaghi has the left-back gotten a chance, and he has flourished.
Despite making some important appearances in the 2021/22 season, he is yet to cement his position in the team, as Inter narrowly lost out their Serie A crown to rivals AC Milan. Out of his 32 games in the league, only 13 were starts, which shows there may not be enough trust in him to become the first choice.
Moreover, the January arrival of Robin Gosens made matters difficult for Dimarco to lock a starting berth in the side chasing the title. However, Inzaghi considers him a top-notch squad player, as the manager selected the player to play as a left-sided centre-back in numerous games in the campaign.
From reports in Italy, Inzaghi would like to keep hold of Dimarco, but Arsenal are now circling the versatile defender as Arteta eyes a new player to strengthen his backline. Arsenal’s primary requirement is to bring a backup left-back, who could also slot in central defence if needed.
The Gunners have strong players in both positions, and Dimarco is not expected to dislodge either Kieran Tierney or Gabriel Magalhaes from their respective roles. However, the Inter star could prove an able backup, as he could slot in multiple positions. Arteta’s main intention is to sign a left-back cover after Tierney’s injury for the last part of the season had an adverse effect on their top-four ambitions.
Arsenal have other targets on their radars such as Bologna’s Aaron Hickey. Even though reports emerged that Arsenal had agreed on a deal with Bologna for Hickey, the signing is not believed to be close as Arteta continues to widen his search for a new defender to shore up his backline.
Thus, Dimarco has emerged as a contender, as Inter could be willing to do a deal for €20-25 million, despite the defender signing a new contract in 2021. The 24-year-old certainly is a viable option and versatile enough to slot into Arteta’s plans for next summer.
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As for the player, he might look closely at the prospect of joining a club like Arsenal, where he would essentially be continuing in the same backup role as at Inter. Given that he is comfortable at the San Siro and can play in the Champions League with the Nerazzurri, the versatile defender might continue staying at the club rather than moving elsewhere.