This week, Arsenal will hold talks with the agent of Lille attacker Sofiane Boufal to discuss a possible move. The Gunners are said to face competition from Chelsea, according to the reports from the Express.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is on the raid to sign another striker this summer with Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s futures remaining uncertain.
Boufal, 22, joined Lille from Angers for a deal worth £3m back in January 2015 and performed wonderfully last season netting 11 goals in 29 appearances. Given that such stats are likely to attract big clubs, Lille are said to be ready to cash-in on him this summer
Earlier this month, the Guardian reported that Arsenal have made it clear to the French outfit that they are ready to trigger the Moroccan’s €25m buyout clause. If this deal is completed I personally think that the Moroccan International could give Wenger more attacking options and help the team greatly.
The latest update from the Guardian journalist Ed Aarons on Twitter today claims that Arsenal will meet the Morocco international agent this week to discuss a potential move.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton will hold talks with Sofiane Boufal’s agent this week over potential transfer from Lille #afc #cfc
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) June 28, 2016
However, Aarons claims that we are not the only club currently interested in the Moroccan international. It has been reported that Southampton and Chelsea will also hold talks with the 22-year-old ace representative to discuss a deal.
Given that he could face some competition from Alex Iwobi, I personally think he might choose Southampton ahead of Arsenal for more playing time.
The incoming Blues manager Antonio Conte has already given a go-ahead signal to the club’s recruitment team, who are reportedly become fans of the player. Yvan Le Mee who is Boufal’s representative also met with Barcelona recently to discuss the availability of his client.
Boufal is a versatile attacker. The Moroccan essentially plays as central attacker but he’s more than comfortable on the wings. Given these qualities he could combine well at Arsenal. One wonders where he could fit in given how crowded Arsenal’s attacking department already is.With Mesut Ozil the undoubted first choice number 10 at the Emirates, Wenger will probably use him out wide at Arsenal.
I believe that Wenger should rather go for other options as Boufal lacks experience if we consider the Premier League style of football. Besides, our qualities up front in the attacking midfield and winger roles are well covered as it is.
We will all have to wait for few more days to see what would come out of this speculation. One thing is for certain,that Boufal , if he were to eventually come to Arsenal , would in every way compete with / play second fiddle to Alexis Sanchez, while also combining well with him if he were to play in the same game.
Do you think Sofiane Boufal would make a good signing for the Gunners?
