Arsenal are moving in for another defender, as manager Mikel Arteta improves his squad across the pitch.
The Gunners may have finished second and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but after suffering with an unprecedented injury crisis, Arteta has been left having to answer why his side have failed to win a major trophy for another season.
While Arsenal fans may well be looking at the club to raise the ceiling of this team over the summer, however, Arteta – who has confirmed losing at least four first-teamers in the near future – may well be looking to raise the floor of the side, too.
Arsenal are looking to strike a deal for another defender
Arsenal are famously strong in defence, with Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel and Myles Lewis-Skelly the first-choice back four at the Emirates Stadium this term.
But beyond that, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu have both had knee surgery this season, summer buy Riccardo Calafiori has had a stop-start campaign, and both Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko are expected to leave the club this summer, with Jakub Kiwior's exit a real possibility, too.
On top of this, Lewis-Skelly is expected to move into a no.8 role long-term, Timber has put in a huge number of minutes after an ACL injury and the futures of Gabriel and Saliba are up in the air, with interest in both set to ramp up in the final two years of their respective contracts.
With that in mind, Arsenal could be set for an unexpected defensive rebuild in addition to the attacking reinforcements that the club clearly need, with Real Madrid star Victor Valdepenas a serious target for the North Londoners.
Spanish source Relevo claims that the Gunners have already made an enquiry for the left-sided centre-back, along with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund – who could both be fielding offers this summer for Piero Hincapie and Nico Schlotterbeck.
With Xabi Alonso looking to reinforce a defence that is already set to welcome Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen, recognised by FourFourTwo in our list of the best centre-backs in the world, the pathway for 18-year-old Valdepenas may be incredibly difficult right now.
FourFourTwo understands the teenager is exactly the kind of profile that Arteta is looking for in a dynamic centre-back/full-back hybrid – and with defensive cover an area that the Gunners are seriously looking at this summer, Valdepenas would be a relatively cheap pick-up that Arteta could develop into a serious option for the future.
Valdepenas is worth €500k, according to Transfermarkt.
