A few days ago a piece of Arsenal transfer gossip did the rounds in the media but we chose to ignore it on that occasion because it did seem a little out there but the media have persisted and updates on the rumour have added a little credibility and therefore it is now definitely worth a discussion.
The gossip in question is that Arsenal is interested in Sampdoria duo Joachim Andersen and Dennis Praet.
The news apparently broke in Italy and was then picked up by the media in the UK and it is being reported that Arsenal has sent representatives to monitor the pair.
The scouts were sent to watch the them play against Juventus in the final game of the season for Sampdoria and by all accounts were impressed with what they saw from Praet, however, Andersen did not feature from the bench in the 2-0 win over the Italian champions.
Andersen is a solid defender that could definitely do a job for us at the back and Praet is the sort of midfielder that is seen by some as a replacement for Aaron Ramsey.
Arsenal does have cordial relations with the Serie A side having signed Lucas Torreira from them and so it can be argued that there is a good chance we could land one or both of them.
We would apparently face competition from Tottenham for Anderson and it should be noted that we have been linked with a handful of midfielders, in particular, Ryan Fraser from Bournemouth and so Praet is probably the least likely of the two to join us.
Of the two it is Andersen that interests me the most, he is just 22-years-old and has been a regular starter this season for Sampdoria, he has put in consistent performances all season long and does look like he could be a top player for years to come.
Praet is just 25 himself and like Andersen has been a regular fixture in the Sampdoria team but is not prolific with either assists or goals finding the net just twice and providing assists a measly three times this season.
Hopefully, this rumour is real and if it is then Andersen would be very welcomed, not so much Praet.