£30m defensive ace on Arsenal transfer radar but Premier League rivals also keen

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Arsenal are reportedly set to consider bolstering their defence further as they’ve been paired with an interest in Athletic Bilbao ace Unai Nunez.

The Gunners were busy trying to shore up their backline this past summer as they snapped up stalwart David Luiz from Chelsea, while BBC Sport note how they spent £27m on William Saliba before loaning him back to Saint Etienne.

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In turn, he’ll be back next summer to try and offer a long-term solution in defence for Arsenal, while the likes of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers will also continue to hope to cement their place in the starting line-up moving forward.

Despite identifying and taking steps to become a more solid defensive unit though, Arsenal have still conceded 11 goals in just eight Premier League games so far this season.

That follows on from conceding 51 in 38 league outings last year, giving them the second worst defensive record of the top nine sides in the standings.

For a side looking to compete for major trophies and across various fronts, that is simply not good enough and Unai Emery will surely be aware of that glaring weakness that still exists in his side.

With that in mind, the Daily Mail report that Arsenal could swoop for Bilbao ace Nunez, although it’s noted that it won’t be cheap considering he’s said to have a release clause of around £30m.

Further, Everton are also said to be interested in the 22-year-old, and so time will tell whether or not Arsenal can fend off the competition and land another important, long-term signing for Emery.

It may be considered a risk similar to Saliba in the sense that they’re going for young targets yet to prove themselves in the Premier League, but ultimately Arsenal fans will be hoping that the club’s scouting system is working and will provide key solutions moving forward.

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