Arsenal are trying to muscle in on Lazio’s move to sign Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Djibril Sow, according to Calciomercato.it.
The Italian website report that Lazio have agreed a €15m (£13m) fee for the Swiss international (plus bonuses), but the deal is now in trouble after the Gunners decided to “aggressively enter the negotiation.”
Sow has been linked with a transfer to the Emirates in the past, with the first rumours emerging all the way back in December last year when Newcastle were also mentioned as possible suitors.
The 26-year-old’s contract is, however, running down, and this summer is the last opportunity that Frankfurt will have to raise money from his sale before he can discuss a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs in January.
Signing a low-cost midfielder is something Arsenal have been considering
After manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Thomas Partey was likely to stay at the Emirates, it put to an end any chance of the club pursuing someone like Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.
At £50m, the Belgian is well outside the Gunners’ current price range, so it looks as if sporting director Edu and his scouting team have been scouring the market for more economical solutions.
Gremio’s Bitello has been regularly mentioned as a target in recent weeks but, for one reason or another, progress on the deal has stalled. Sow may be one of the alternatives being considered by the club.
What would Sow bring to Arsenal?
The two key metrics where the Swiss star compares favourably to others is in Progressive passes and interceptions.
Over the past twelve months, Sow has averaged 6.28 progressive passes per 90 minutes, which is in the top 25% of midfielders in the top five European Leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France), In terms of interceptions, he averages 1.23 per 90, which puts him in the top 33%.
