Arsenal’s potential sale of Bernd Leno has opened the door for the Gunners to repeat Manchester City’s Zack Steffen deal with the signing of New England Revolution goalkeeper, Matt Turner.
According to ESPN, the Gunners have put in a 'strong' bid for the goalkeeper who plays in the MLS and has been capped by the United States men’s national team.
This comes after Graeme Bailey from 90min reported Newcastle are looking at signing Leno, who lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale.
The signing of Turner could be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal, as it has been clear since the start of the season that Arsenal would need a new backup goalkeeper due to Leno not being happy at being a regular on the substitutes bench.
Leno has previously publicly spoken out on his displeasure of being left out of the starting eleven at the beginning of the season.
"There was no clear reason why I was out, but it had nothing to do with my performance. He [Arteta] is the trainer, he decides. Of course, it’s difficult for me," Leno told SportBild via Sport Witness.
Meanwhile, MLS journalist Tom Bogert has claimed that Arsenal’s bid for Turner is similar to the range that Manchester City paid for Steffen, which was around the £7m-£10m mark.
Steffen has been an excellent addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad since joining from MLS side Columbus, primarily used as a back-up for Ederson and often played in cup competitions.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping for the same success with Turner if a deal goes through, and using Steffen as the inspiration will certainly help the New England Revolution goalkeeper settle in.
Perhaps, even more, encouraging for the Gunners is that the 27-year-old goalkeeper has already expressed his desire to one day play in the Premier League.
When asked if he wants to follow the same path as Steffen, Turner said: "A hundred percent on the radar. [It is] something that I want to happen.
"I don't have a dream club. However, it is my dream to play in the Premier League in England. Hopefully, that happens one day, but I'd be happy to play in any of the top five leagues for sure."
Turner has emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in the MLS over the past couple of season's after joining the league in 2016, despite being undrafted in the same year. He has since gone on to win the most recent Goalkeeper of the Year award.
If Leno’s move to Newcastle picks up pace, then a deal for Turner will certainly be an important one for the Gunners to wrap up this month.
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