Arsenal and Chelsea in transfer battle over signing of in-demand £40m winger

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Arsenal and Chelsea have reportedly emerged as front-runners in the race to sign Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco this summer.

Since his move from Monaco in 2015, the 23-year-old has become a star for the La Liga giants, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists in 32 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

With that impact though, it has led to interest from across Europe with The Sun reporting that Atleti could be ready to sell this summer as several interested parties have emerged.

It’s claimed that Arsenal and Chelsea lead the way in terms of clubs from the Premier League, but they will face stiff competition as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keen on the Belgian international.

Images surfaced last weekend showing Carrasco looking less than impressed on the bench, while he received his marching orders on Tuesday night in his side’s defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.

In turn, that has seemingly led to talk of an exit gathering pace, with The Sun reporting that a bid of around £40m could be enough to tempt Diego Simeone into selling.

While that fee shouldn’t be a problem for the likes of Chelsea and PSG, as ever, the question will be asked as to whether Arsenal would be willing to splash out such a significant fee on one player.

Coupled with the fact that they have plenty of depth in that area, it’s questionable as to whether Arsene Wenger really needs another wide-man.

In Chelsea’s case though, Antonio Conte will be thinking ahead to next season in the back of his mind as the club identify summer targets and he’ll need to add quality and depth as his side prepare for a return to the Champions League.

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