Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing AC Milan forward M’Baye Niang, but will have to dig deep into their pockets next summer to make the move happen.
The 21-year-old has been in impressive form so far this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists in seven Serie A outings.
His inconsistency in the final third had been a source of real frustration for Milan in recent times, but he looks as though he is starting to improve in that regard on the basis of what he’s contributed so far this year.
According to Calciomercato, Arsene Wenger is considering rekindling his interest in him in order to bolster his options up front, having previously been linked with swooping for the French ace in the January transfer window earlier this year.
It’s added in the report that the Rossoneri will not be willing to discuss a potential transfer mid-way through the season in the upcoming January window, and so in turn Arsenal will have to wait until next summer to make their move.
Further, it’s claimed that it will take an offer of around €35m to prise Niang away from the San Siro, which will naturally raise questions over whether or not the Gunners will be willing to spend such a significant amount on him.
Niang still needs to show his consistency over an extended period of time, but given his age and development thus far, it’s no real surprise to see him being linked with other clubs.
His pace, movement and versatility would see him easily fit in at the Emirates, although again, Wenger will have to consider the fact that he hasn’t proven himself as a consistent goalscorer across an entire season as of yet.
With the likes of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott falling short of scoring 25-plus goals each year to fire Arsenal to silverware, Wenger has been criticised for many years now for not bringing in a world-class striker.
Whether Niang is the answer to that remains to be seen, but if he maintains his current form, it will likely be extremely difficult to convince Milan to sell.