Arsenal confident of beating West Ham to £30m Max Aarons – report
Arsenal have reportedly stolen a march ahead of the chasing pack of suitors and are confident of securing the £30m signing of West Ham target Max Aarons.
Per 90min, the Gunners are prepared to part ways with Hector Bellerin in the summer and have identified Norwich’s right-back as the ideal replacement for the Spaniard.
They’re prepared to match the club’s asking price and are confident of signing him ahead of their London rivals who have ignited an interest in his services recently.
Arsenal’s recruitment team along with the coaching staff are known to be keen admirers of the player, and the club’s reputation and pulling power could see him tempted to make a move to the North of the capital – handing their Eastern rivals a major transfer blow.
The 21-year-old, who has previously on Barcelona and Bayern Munich’s radar last summer, is likelier than not to make a move away from Carrow Road this summer.
Other Premier League clubs like Leicester, Everton and Newcastle are also reportedly keeping tabs on the player.
Major blow
We recently did a tactical analysis on Aarons and how his influence on the right was something different compared to Vladimir Coufal’s.
His ability to take players on and then muscle them off to retain possession is something that stands out whenever we watch him play.
Add to that, he’s pretty impressive on the defensive end, making an impressive 3.33 blocks per 90 minutes, in comparison to Coufal’s 2.21. [StatsBomb]
Aston Villa took a similar gamble when they signed a young right-back from the Championship in Matty Cash, and that transfer has made the world of difference for them.
Speaking about Aarons’ impact on the team, Norwich boss Daniel Farke said, “He is so young and he has to improve, and he will, but what he has done in the past two years is amazing. I cannot praise him enough.”
At £30m, he may be on the expensive side, but the fact that he’s so impressive at 21 only makes us wonder how good he’ll be in the next few seasons.
Even if he aspires to play at clubs like Barcelona and Bayern one day, he could take the first steps in the direction of becoming an elite player at the London Stadium.
The Hammers would also profit handsomely off any future sale to the top European sides so it’s imperative they act quickly and make a swoop ahead of Arsenal.
In other news, Report: Hammers make big decision – ready to offload £9m-rated attacker in the summer
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