This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Arsenal are eyeing a January bid for RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, per The Sun.
What’s the word?
The Gunners reportedly made a £40m bid for the centre-back in the summer but were unable to get a deal over the line.
Upamecano, though, has a contract that expires at the end of next season and a new £40m bid, the report claims, could see him leave the Bundesliga.
The Gunners, of course, signed both William Saliba and David Luiz in the summer but The Sun claims that Upamecano is seen as a player who could potentially form the backbone of their defence for years to come.
The 20-year-old has made a total of 80 appearances for Leipzig, while he has won 13 caps for France U21s.
A bold investment
Upamecano is clearly a top-tier talent.
In 2018/19, he made a total of 15 appearances in the Bundesliga, making an average of 1.5 tackles, 2.2 interceptions, 2.9 clearances and a passing accuracy of 82.5%, per WhoScored.
At the age of 20, there is room for growth, and he has time to improve; he has yet to win his first senior France cap, for example, and has only made a total of 59 appearances in the Bundesliga.
Partnering him with the 18-year-old Saliba, another young player with room to grow, would perhaps cement the heart of Arsenal’s defence for the next decade.
Arsenal should do all they can to bring him to north London.