Arsenal have thrown in a £5.9m [€7m] offer for Benfica star Alex Grimaldo as Mikel Arteta looks to bring in another left-back this summer, according to reports via the Express.
Arteta is on the market for another full-back to support Kieran Tierney as the Scottish International have been plagued by injury problems since joining Arsenal from Celtic in 2019.
Nuno Tavares acted as a substitute last season, but the 22-year-old struggled at times and had to be taken off before half-time on two occasions. Tavares is being linked with a loan move this summer, so Arteta is looking for a replacement.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with Lisandro Martinez but face stiff competition from Manchester United. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Aaron Hickey have also been touted as targets in recent weeks, but Grimaldo has now emerged as a serious alternative.
The Gunners have reportedly been keeping an eye on the Benfica ace and it appears they have now formalized their interest as the Express They are citing a report from And she was who claims Arsenal have put up a £5.9m [€7m] bidding.
The report says that negotiations on a possible deal are ongoing, but it remains to be seen how Benfica will respond to the offer. Grimaldo has been one of their key players since he arrived from Barcelona in 2016, so they won’t want to lose him.
Negotiate
However, Grimaldo only has 12 months left on his current contract, so Benfica may be forced to cash in this summer and sell him cheap rather than risk losing him for free next year.
The 26-year-old has racked up almost 250 appearances in the last six years and contributed 5 goals and 5 assists in his 28 league appearances last season, making him one of the most productive left-backs in Europe.
We’ll have to wait and see how things play out over the next few days, but Grimaldo could be a solid back-up for Tierney if Arsenal can get a deal done.
At just £5.9m, it would also allow Arteta to save funds to strengthen other areas of his squad with the Spaniard reportedly also in the market for a midfielder and attacker.
If Grimaldo arrives, he would become Arsenal’s fifth big summer signing after Matt Turner, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Gabriel Jesus.
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