Arsenal made a late attempt to hijack Manchester City’s move for Iliman Ndiaye, according to Sébastien Vidal.
Attacking reinforcement was one of Arsenal’s main focuses heading into the recently concluded summer transfer window. The Premier League champions were linked with several options that did not materialise.
They appeared to be nearing a deal for Morgan Rogers before Chelsea trumped them and signed the Englishman in a then record-breaking deal.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was another target, but the Spanish club were adamant on retaining him despite reported intent by the Argentine to depart the Metropolitano. The Gunners were even ready to offer £59m + Viktor Gyokeres to sign the Argentina international, but Atletico maintained their stance against selling the centre-forward this summer.
However, it appears Arsenal were keen on adding an attacker before the transfer deadline, as Sébastien Vidal claims that the North Londoners made an attempt to hijack Man City’s move for Ndiaye.
The Gunners made a final effort to disrupt City’s deal by approaching Everton, but the France-born Senegalese international reaffirmed his commitment to signing for Enzo Maresca’s side in a £64m transfer.
Hijack
As a result, Arsenal turned their attention to other targets, including Malick Fofana, but did not accelerate efforts for the Belgian, who went on to join Sunderland.
The Gunners were looking to further reinforce their squad to provide Mikel Arteta with enough options for a title defence this season
The Gunners’ first market move this summer was to trigger the buy option clause for Piero Hincapie, who started 20 Premier League games while on an initial loan from Bayer Leverkusen.
Illan Meslier was also signed on a free transfer from Leeds United to provide backup for David Raya, while Christos Tzolis also made the switch to the Emirates from Club Brugge.
After protracted negotiations, Arsenal reached an agreement with Newcastle United to sign Bruno Guimarães in a big-money move, arguably the club’s boldest statement of intent this summer.
After William Saliba’s injury, Arsenal needed defensive cover and secured the signing of Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, who made his debut against his former club on Monday.
With Tzolis the only natural left winger in the squad, it will be interesting to see whether Arsenal return to the market in January to add another attacker or maintain their faith in their current options.
