Thierry Henry has sang the praises of Arsenal’s potential next signing. The Gunners will be in desperate need of a midfielder and a winger in the upcoming transfer windows, and Christopher Nkunku would be the ideal signing.
However, The Athletic's David Ornstein has reported that the Frenchman is set to sign a pre-contract with Chelsea. This has been followed up by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who has reported that Todd Boehly is trying to negotiate a fee before exploring the option of activating Nkunku’s £56million release clause.
This gives Arsenal an opportunity to swoop in with their own offer. The Gunners had previously lost out on an RB Leipzig target after a Premier League side made a premature offer to then sign the player a season later, and Edu can ensure this is not repeated with Nkunku.
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Arsenal had previously been linked to Naby Keita before he joined Liverpool in 2018. In the summer of 2016, Keita revealed that he had a conversation with Arsene Wenger.
Keita said via the Sun: “I didn’t speak with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp but I had a phone conversation with Arsene Wenger, who spoke French to me. Yet I chose Leipzig as they have great potential and I didn’t yet want to join a big Champions League club.”
The midfielder joined Liverpool for the 2018/2019 season despite a deal being completed in the summer transfer window at the beginning of the 2017/2018 season. With Chelsea looking to repeat this structure of deal with Nkunku, Arsenal legend Henry has explained why the Gunners shouldn’t let history repeat itself.
Speaking to CBS Sports about Nkunku last season, Henry said: "Yes I do love watching him. Goals and assists. He is just having fun this season. But he is adding goals this year.
"He’s in the national team now. His confidence… the world wants him."
Nkunku would certainly be an excellent signing , and it seems that Edu agrees, as according to French news outlet Foot Mercato, Arsenal were looking to sign Nkunku in the previous summer transfer window.
The Gunners were heavily linked to the Frenchman in the January window of 2019 when he was still a player at Paris Saint-Germain. Since Arsenal failed to sign him, Nkunku has gone on to become of Europe's most attractive players, and it would make sense for Edu to register interest in him once again.
The 24-year-old played 51 last games this season and scored an impressive 35 goals alongside providing 20 assists in these games. Nine of these goal contributions had come from matches in the Champions League, showing that Nkunku can compete at an elite level, which is Arsenal’s next step in their rebuilding process under Arteta.
Henry’s praise for the Frenchman highlights the quality he possesses. With Chelsea still in negotiations for the midfielder, Arsenal have a chance to send Nkunku a proposal themselves. With the Gunners currently at the top of the Premier League table, Edu has a great negotiation tool to use.
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