Arsenal are believed to be in pursuit of Toulouse No.10 Wissam Ben Yedder, according to Canal+ journalist Ludo Deroin.
Arsene Wenger has been on the lookout for attacking reinforcements since Danny Welbeck’s fresh injury, confirming the signing of only Japanese teenager Takuma Anso since then.
Many of last season’s effective strikers including Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette have been rumoured to be on the Gunner’s crosshairs after Jamie Vardy signed a contract extension with champions Leicester City.
The Frenchman is a relative unknown but has scored 70 goals in the last 4 seasons for the Ligue 1 side.
The 25-year-old broke Andre Pierre Gignac’s record to become Toulouse’s all-time league top scorer on his way to 50 Ligue 1 goals in 2015 and put in his best shift so far last season, scoring 17 Ligue 1 goals and registering 5 assists.
Ben Yedder has never been capped for the French National Team but has represented the country in futsal competitions and at U21 levels.
Since being signed in 2010, Ben Yedder has been deployed by Toulouse as a central striker and sometimes as an attacking midfielder.
His exceptional close control and the ability to weigh passes in addition to his explosive finishing and decent pace means he can play in multiple positions across the frontline. At 5’7″ tall, the most notable absence in his skill set as a striker is aerial prowess.
Multiple news sources including the Metro, have picked up on Arsenal’s interest in the striker of Tunisian descent and Canal+ has a reputation of getting transfer news right.
However, multiple sources have also suggested La Liga side Sevilla are also interested and could promise the player a starting berth to replace Kevin Gamiero.
Ben Yedder is contracted to Toulouse till 2017 and is yet to sign a contract extension.The Ligue 1 side are apparently looking for €10 million plus bonuses as the club seek to cash in on their star player in this transfer window, rather than risk letting him off on a free transfer at the end of the season.
