Arsenal: £57m ‘winner’ would ‘fit nicely with Saliba’ at the Emirates

The £57m star could be the ideal partner for William Saliba at Arsenal.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Aymeric Laporte, and journalist Paul Brown has given his verdict, speaking to GIVEMESPORT.The Spanish defender struggled for game time last season so he could be looking for a fresh challenge this summer.

Arsenal transfer news – Aymeric Laporte

Laporte signed for Manchester City for a fee of around £57m back in 2018 from Athletic Bilbao, as per the BBC. The 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Manchester club, with reports in Spain claiming that Arsenal are interested in signing the central defender.

With Pep Guardiola’s side close to completing the signing of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to Paul Joyce, Laporte could find himself even further down the pecking order if he was to stay at the Etihad Stadium this summer.

A centre-back might not seem like an immediate priority for the Gunners, considering how well Gabriel and William Saliba performed last season.

However, after missing out on the Premier League title to City, the north London club will have to add increased squad depth to compete for the whole campaign.Mikel Arteta’s side fell short towards the end of the term, particularly when Saliba suffered an injury.Laporte isn’t the only City player to be linked with a move to Arsenal.

After Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus made the switch last summer, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Joao Cancelo is a player appreciated by Arsenal, speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

What has Brown said about Laporte?

Brown has suggested that Laporte could be a nice fit for Arsenal.The journalist has claimed that his winning mentality could be what Arteta’s side needs, but he thinks there is some way to go before this deal can happen.Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said:“Laporte, going to Arsenal, I think that would be actually quite a nice fit. I think he would do a really good job for Arsenal.

Joao Cancelo I have my doubts about, I’ve spoken about that before, but Laporte I think would fit quite nicely at Arsenal.”It feels like he has the kind of profile that would slot in quite nicely alongside a couple of the different centre backs there at the club already.

“I do think he’s reliable, experienced, used to being a winner. That feels like a move that would be a really good one if Arsenal were able to pull it off.”But I think there’s some way to go before anything like this happens.”

What’s next for Arsenal?

Once the signings of Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice are completed, with both players close to joining the club, it could be time for the start of the outgoings.Thomas Partey is a player linked with a move away from the Emirates, with Saudi Arabian clubs interested in the Ghanaian, as well as Juventus, as per the Evening Standard.

If Arteta and Edu Gaspar can offload some of the deadwood in the squad, it could allow them to continue to bring in reinforcements.