Arsenal are reportedly targeting Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to add defensive reinforcements.
The Gunners are looking for a left-sided defender due to Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu's injury struggles throughout the current campaign. The former Celtic full-back was ruled out for the season after undergoing knee surgery in April and has struggled to keep fit since joining from Parkhead in the summer of 2019.
Tomiyasu's brilliant debut season has been derailed after picking up a calf injury at the turn of the year. The Japanese defender returned to the starting line-up on Sunday during the 3-1 win over West Ham but had to be withdrawn in the second half as he couldn't carry on, which Arteta insists is not a relapse of his previous injury.
While Cedric and Nuno Tavares have received a fair chunk of playing time in the duo's absence, it seems Arteta isn't convinced with the options he has at his disposal as the Spaniard looks to strengthen his backline.
Bologna rising star Aaron Hickey, who has been a standout performer for Tomiyasu's former employers, has emerged as a target this summer, according to football.london. The Scotland youngster initially took a while to adjust to life in Serie A following his switch from Hearts in the summer of 2020 as he made 11 appearances in Italy's top-flight during his debut season.
But the versatile defender, who can play both left and right back, has found his groove this term by making 33 league appearances, scoring five goals and recording an assist in the process. Bologna are said to be asking for a fee in the region of £18million for Hickey, whose contract expires in the summer of 2024.
Tierney's development since arriving at the Emirates has given Arsenal a blueprint to follow with Hickey as they look to invest in another talented Scottish left-back. In fact, Hickey was a part of Celtic's youth set-up just as Tierney was breaking into the Hoops first team, before moving to Hearts in 2018.
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Arsenal spent almost £150m last summer as Arteta's rebuild got underway, and he expects another busy window this year.
Asked if the Gunners will be active in the summer, he said: "I am expecting so, yes. I think both competitions [the Champions League and Europa League] require a much larger squad because the amount of games you play is much bigger in both, so I don’t think [which you qualify for] makes a lot of difference or changes a lot.
"If you can financially afford it and we don’t have to do the turnaround in the squad that we’ve had to do, if you ask me what I want it’s 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers. You have to come a long way in the aspects that you see on the pitch, it’s a lot of things that have to be put in place, and that takes time."
