Arsenal are reportedly still ‘in the running’ to sign Christopher Nkunku this summer.
At the end of March it was reported that Arsenal were ‘formulating an offer’ of €35m for a player they were heavily linked with in the January window. Now, Le Parisien believe Arsenal are still interested in the player and are still ‘in the running’.
ParisTeam reported that, after Arsenal narrowly missed the chance to sign Nkunku in the January transfer window, they returned for the player in March. They stated Arsenal were reportedly formulating an offer of €35m (£30m), including bonuses, for the player who has just over a year left on his PSG contract.
That would appear a rather large fee for a player who will be available for free in 2020, but it really depends on how that €35m is broken down. If it’s a €20m up-front fee with the rest dependent on how much he plays/achieves with Arsenal, that’s much more reasonable than €34m up front, for example.
As for PSG’s feelings on the transfer, they were apparently willing to take the offer into consideration, but won’t give a final decision until they’ve resolved various issues in midfield. Now, however, Le Parisien report that they are reluctant to lose a youth product and are trying to extend the 21-year-old’s contract.
Reportedly, Nkunku’s transfer to Arsenal fell through in January because the Ligue 1 club wanted to sign a replacement first with Everton’s Idrissa Gueye heavily linked. Perhaps if they can land their midfield targets this summer, that will free up Nkunku to leave.
Nkunku is a central midfielder who can play on the wings and has been capped for France at u16, 19, 20 and 21 level. He has three goals and two assists in 20 Ligue 1 appearances this season (1,075 minutes, average 53.75 mins per game).