Whether Arsenal get their hands on a marquee striker this summer remains to be seen, but what is sure is that the Gunners aren’t just going to be sitting around twiddling their thumbs over the next few months.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have a big task on their hands: bringing in the right players to help the North Londoners take that final step and overtake Manchester City in the Premier League.
What better place to scout said players than the European Championships?
So, it’s unsurprising that one of the latest names touted for a move to N5 could be a star at the tournament, and interestingly, he shares a lot of similarities with club captain Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a report from Caught Offside earlier this week, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in Paris Saint-Germain’s young star Xavi Simons and have already contacted the French side to learn more.
Alongside the Gunners, the report claimed that Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus have also made contact with the Parisians over the young player, valued at around €60m – £51m – per Spanish reports last month.
However, unlike United, for example, the North Londoners have inquired about taking the 21-year-old on a season-long loan, which makes sense considering L’Équipe’s report last week that Luis Enrique’s side weren’t keen to sell him this summer due to a clause that would see them pay a large portion of the fee to PSV.
It looks set to be an intense battle between multiple clubs to land the Dutchman’s services this summer, but given his incredible form and similarities to Odegaard, Edu and Co must do what they can to emerge victorious.
Simons’ similarities to Odegaard
Now, as impressive as Simons has been over the last couple of seasons, he has yet to prove himself at a major club or in a senior leadership role, so to compare him to Odegaard, a captain at club and international level, is a lot, but there are a few reasons why it makes sense.
Related
