Dynamo Kiev centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic is the latest centre-back to be linked with a summer move to Arsenal.
It’s the time of year when the Premiership is reaching it’s climax.
We are fast approaching the business end of the season and ahead of the transfer window the rumour machine is starting to step up a gear. Arsenal have money to spend and the media (as ever) are trying to second guess who Arsene Wenger is going to spend his hard saved pennies on.
It’s generally accepted at the moment that Arsenal have around £50m to spend in the next transfer window.
Who will they spend it on?
Well that’s anyone’s guess.
Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin has been heavily mentioned as has Dortmund defender Neven Subotic.
The media have also suggested that Wenger is on the look out for a goalkeeper as well, although that’s not a theory I’m convinced by.
But just when it started to look like Arsenal had two clear summer targets, another started to be mentioned in Dynamo Kiev’s Austrian centre-half Aleksander Dragovic.
If that name seems familiar, it’s because this is not the first time that Arsenal have been linked with the highly rated Austrian.
Back in 2013 whilst playing for Basel, Dragovic was linked with a load of top clubs including Arsenal, but he ended up moving to Dynamo Kiev in an (close to) £8m deal.
Dragovic has made 27 appearances so far this season for Dynamo Kiev scoring one goal, and throughout his games he has been getting rave reviews for his performances, and, as a result his price-tag has rocketed.
The 24-year-old’s contract runs until 2018 and when asked about Arsenal’s interest before the Europa League clash with Everton, Dynamo Kiev boss Sergei Rebrov had this to say:
“You are asking about one of the best players in my team and I don’t want to lose this player.
“He is a top-class player and I hope he will stay with us, but you never know.”
Judging by Rebrov’s comments, he is clearly aware that there is, or has been interest in Dragovic from Arsenal.
Is that interest substantial?
Well Arsenal will have been keeping tabs on him since his move from Basel, but at the same time so will every other top club.
Every club will be on the look out for a quality centre half and whilst Dragovic isn’t yet at the level of Subotic, he certainly has the potential to be.
The price tag would be (at a guess) somewhere between £13m-£15m and that “you never know” comment from Rebrov suggests that there is a price that Dynamo Kiev will sell him for but what will be key for Arsenal is if Wenger decides to keep hold of Mertesacker.
If Arsenal do, then the club are unlikely to move for another established centre half especially now Paulista has joined.
If, however, Wenger decides that it is time for Mertesacker to move on then all bets are off and Dragovic could well emerge as a major target.