Arsenal have identified a little-known Bundesliga gem as a player to sign in January to enhance their squad.
The Gunners made fewer buys that they would have perhaps liked over the summer, scrambling on Deadline Day to tie up a deal for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz. That transfer didn't materialise, leaving the north London side a little short in midfield, even after Mikel Arteta publicly declared he wanted new players.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko both moved to the Emirates Stadium from Manchester City, while Porto playmaker Fabio Vieira has only made one appearance thus far. USMNT keeper Matt Turner and Marquinhos both joined, too, with the latter netting his first Gunners goal against Zurich in Europe recently.
Now, Calciomercato says that Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jesper Lindstrom – who is valued at £17 million – is on the radar for Mikel Arteta.
Following a £6m move last year, Lindstrom has settled nicely into German football and is said to be on a number of European clubs' wanted lists. Prior to moving to Frankfurt, Lindstrom racked up 21 goals and assists to help Brondby win the Danish Superliga title.
Lindstrom also recently scored on the continental stage against Marseille in the Champions League – and will face Tottenham this week in the competition.
A right-footed attacking midfielder, the Gunners could well use the Dane in a number of positions if they sign him. He could play deeper in midfield as a rotational option to come in for Granit Xhaka – while similarly to Emile Smith Rowe, Lindstrom could also feature out wide.
Barcelona have also been linked with the star, with some comparing him to Thomas Muller. The Gunners look set to re-enter the transfer market in January with a renewed ambition to complete their squad for the second half of the season.
Lindstrom is valued at around £15m by Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal were looking for a “mystery winger” to complete their squad, while a midfielder was also been touted.
After Nicolas Pepe left the Gunners for more minutes on loan at Nice, manager Mikel Arteta declared a desire to “add firepower”, though he could not guarantee a new player will come in. The Gunners still have interest in Pedro Neto, as well as a Ukrainian wonderkid.
Mohamed Elneny’s injury means that midfield is a little weak right now. FFT reported months ago that personal terms with Youri Tielemans were agreed, with the north Londoners just needing to agree a fee with Leicester: one obstacle remained on Deadline Day. In other news, Bukayo Saka has hinted that he’s close to extending his contract.
