Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin claims Elye Wahi “likes Arsenal a lot”, as his agent holds talks over a summer transfer.
Speaking to the French media this week, Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin gave an update on their star striker Elye Wahi, who has been linked with Arsenal in recent days.
“His agent is talking with four or five big clubs. I know them, but I won’t tell you,” Nicollin said, before adding: “We know he likes Arsenal a lot.”
L’Equipe report that Arsenal had a scout in attendance at Montpellier took on Stade de Reims on the final day of the Ligue 1 season.
The Gunners reportedly remain a possibility for Montpellier forward Elye Wahi, who scored twice in the fixture to give his side a final-day win.
FootMercato recently reported that Arsenal and AS Monaco have taken the lead in the race to sign Wahi this summer, with the striker very likely to leave Montpellier.
Arsenal have reportedly been following and scouting Wahi for many months, and they’re set to make their first offer for a transfer.
Though the exact value of that bid isn’t known, it’s believed to be below the €30-35m that Montpellier want.
Monaco remain keen despite the high price, and they could reportedly make the argument that Wahi needs a stepping-stone club before moving to the Premier League.
The 20-year-old has 19 goals and six assists in 33 games for Montpellier this season, as well as scoring once in his three cameo appearances for the France u21s (totalling just 76 minutes on the pitch).
Yet it would be somewhat surprising to see Arsenal bid for Wahi, as recent reports have suggested the Gunners are unlikely to pursue a centre-forward this summer.
The Gunners made two significant commitments to the centre-forward position by signing Gabriel Jesus and extending Eddie Nketiah’s deal in 2022, less than a year ago.
There’s also Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, who played the position in Jesus and Nketiah’s absence to good effect.
Folarin Balogun looks likely to leave, but even in that scenario you’d be hard-pressed to convince anyone the centre-forward position is a priority for Arsenal.