AC Milan enter race to sign Arsenal and Barcelona target- Reports
According to fichajes.net, AC Milan are interested in signing Arsenal and Barcelona target Renato Sanches. The midfielder's contract with Lille runs out in the summer of 2022 and he has reportedly refused to sign a new one.
The Portuguese was touted as one of the upcoming stars during his time at Bayern Munich. However, injuries and inconsistent performances led him to serve a loan spell at Swansea City. He was eventually sold to Lille in 2019.
Since then, Sanches has made 79 appearances in all competitions for the French club, scoring six goals and assisting eight.
AC Milan, meanwhile, are looking for a potential replacement for midfielder Franck Kessie. The Ivory Coast international is in the final six months of his contract and has reportedly refused to sign a new one. If Kessie leaves at the end of the season, Milan could push for Sanches.
Renato Sanches is Milan’s favourite to replace Kessie.
(@AlfredoPedulla via @AC_MilanFR) https://t.co/MBaH11n6br
According to the report, they will look to offer around €30 million for the Portuguese. However, they will face tough competition from not only Arsenal and Barcelona but also Liverpool.
Arsenal are still looking for a central midfielder
While Renato Sanches could be a good signing, he will only be available in the summer. Arsenal are looking for midfield options in the January transfer window.
They have been heavily linked with Juventus' Arthur Melo but those reports seem to have subsided for now. Bruno Guimaraes of Olympique Lyonnais is another option who the Gunners are interested in. The Brazilian has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs like Newcastle United as well.
Newcastle face renewed competition from Arsenal for Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimarães. Arsenal have reinitiated contacts for Guimarães having reached an impasse with Juventus over Arthur Melo, but no formal bid has been made at this stage. [@RMCsport via @GFFN] #afc
Another midfielder the Gunners could sign in January is Paris Saint-Germain's Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutch international is reportedly interested in joining the Gunners as well. However, he has attracted interest from rivals Tottenham Hotspur who are trying to include him in a swap deal for Tanguy Ndombele.
Arsenal currently have a minor crisis in this position. Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are suspended after picking up red cards in the EFL Cup. Mohamed Elneny is yet to return from AFCON, where he is playing for Egypt. Sambi Lokonga is currently the only proper central midfielder the Gunners have.
Even when all these players are available, the Gunners might want to add some better quality than Xhaka and Elneny. Hence, it will be interesting to see if they are able to sign any of the midfielders they are keenly monitoring.