Arsenal are targeting Juventus goalkeeper Emil Audero for a summer transfer, rather than a January move, according to reports in Italy.

Reliable outlet Di Marzio recently reported that Arsenal are following Audero, and they hold an interest in signing the goalkeeper. They added that the player himself likes the Premier League and Arsenal in particular. However, the report didn’t make any reference to whether The Gunners were pursuing a move in January or the summer.

It appears the answer is the latter. Nicolo Schira of La Gazzetta dello Sport writes that Arsenal are interested in the Sampdoria loanee for next season.

However, there’s a complication. Sampdoria have the option to buy Audero from Juventus at the end of his loan spell, for €14m. If they choose to take it up, Arsenal would have to negotiate with Sampdoria instead of Juventus, and the 8th-placed Serie A side would certainly ask for more than the €14m they’d just spent on him.

#Arsenal is interested in Emil #Audero for next season. The goalkeeper is on loan from Juventus to #Sampdoria, who could buy him for €14M. #Juventus will be able to recover Audero giving €6M to Samp. #transfers #AFC

— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) January 24, 2019

As a result, it’s going to be difficult for Arsenal to proceed with negotiations of any kind for Audero until the end of the season, as they don’t even know which team they’ll be negotiating with.

When Arsenal do open talks, they’re likely going to have to start the bidding at more than €14m, making Audero the club’s second-most expensive goalkeeper of all time, perhaps even first if Sampdoria push the price up. Clearly, there’s still a long way to go before the Italy u21 international ends up in North London.