This one has come out of the blue slightly with reports today claiming that Arsenal has made enquiries about signing Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig.
The Bundesliga outfit has apparently informed Arsenal that it will cost them a cool £70 Million if they want to sign the 20-year-old.
The young French centre back is highly regarded and according to the Guardian, the U21 French international is the Arsenal’s prefered central defender target.
There are actually reports coming out of Germany via tabloid BILD that Arsenal have already made an official bid for £55 Million.
Whether it is just an enquiry or whether an official offer has been tabled, this is significant because it does show that Arsenal has finally woken up and realised that a central defender is a must if they want to have a successful season.
The defence has been widely lambasted through the pre-season culminating in a poor performance last night in the 2-1 loss at Barcelona, a performance that undermined the positive efforts from the forward line.
And therein lies the big issue, Arsenal have become a team that is unbalanced, great going forward with a formidable front line and weak and porous in defence.
As for Upamecano, he has impressed at Leipzig and is a commanding presence in defence despite his young age which has seen him become one of the most highly sought after defenders in Europe.
He will not come cheap but if Arsenal does sign the young man it will be a huge coup and will almost certainly strengthen the defence significantly.