Arsenal have moved ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Napoli and Inter Milan in the race to sign Layvin Kurzawa from PSG – as per Sport.
The left-back was expected to join the Gunners during the January transfer window but eventually, the transfer did not go through and now the 27-year-old will be a free agent in the summer, thereby making him the perfect target for Mikel Arteta.
The report claims: “As reported by ‘Le 10 Sport’, Barcelona no longer has Layvin Kurzawa on his agenda.
“Arsenal’s objective in the next transfer market is to spend as little as possible on transfers, it will try to find market opportunities in the form of free agents and get other players in exchanges. Kurzawa is an option that fits these parameters.”
This news will be a huge blow for Chelsea manager Frank Lampard who is also looking for defensive reinforcements for the upcoming season especially with Emerson on the verge of moving back to Italy.
Can Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Layvin Kurzawa?
The Gunners are without a doubt a top club but there’s a number of reasons why Chelsea can still lure in Kurzawa if Frank Lampard is really serious about signing him.
The most important thing is that the left-back might be available for free this summer but he currently earns a salary of £102,000-a-week at PSG and there’s no way he will be willing to lower that.
While the Gunners do have the financial muscle to pay such types of wages but we are not sure Arteta would want to bring in someone who has played only 14 games this season and pay him sure a extraordinary salary.
Secondly, the Gunners have players like Kieran Tierney, Sead Kolasinac and Bukayo Saka who all play as left-backs in the current squad meaning Layvin Kurzawa will have to prove his worth at the Emirates.
At Chelsea though, the French international can get straight into the starting line-up next season since Emerson is on his way to the Serie A and Marcos Alonso has not been at the top of his game during the ongoing campaign.
So all in all, the Blues still have a fair and fighting chance in this transfer race but they will first have to decide if they want to sign a defender before thinking of strengthening their other areas.
