According to the Mirror, European giants AC Milan are set to take pole position in the race to sign Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng, slashing Arsenal’s hopes to land the experienced defender.
Mirror Football add that the Gunners had already been in contact with Bayern Munich regarding the 31-year-old, this latest development is a massive blow to Arsenal’s hopes of bolstering their defence this month.
The report also highlights that the World Cup winner is eyeing an exit during the January transfer window in order to boost his chances of regular first-team football.
Read More: Barcelona set to hijack Arsenal’s move for long-term target.
The ace has made 15 appearances across all competitions this season, though it seems as though this was only due to the Bavarians having some injuries in central defence.
Sky Sports claimed that the experienced defender would be available this month for £12.8m.
Perhaps this could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Gunners, with all respect to Boateng, it would seem wise for us to eye a move for a central defender that could form the foundation of the side for many years to come.
With Mikel Arteta experiencing quite a decent start to his reign as Arsenal boss, now seems like the perfect time for us to shake-up our team and attempt to build a side capable of taking us back to the top in the near future.