Arsenal will reportedly have to splash out £30m if they wish to prise Mykola Matviyenko away from Shakhtar Donetsk this month.
The defence has been a real problem for the Gunners again this season, as they’ve conceded 34 goals in 24 Premier League games thus far.
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That’s enough to give them the second worst defensive record of the top 11 sides in the standings, and so it’s clearly a major weakness that must be addressed if they wish to start climbing the table and compete for a top-four spot.
To reiterate that point and how it hasn’t really improved since Mikel Arteta took charge, Arsenal have kept just two clean sheets in their last seven games across all competitions, and so it’s an area in which they must improve.
According to Sky Sports, they’ve identified Matviyenko as a possible solution as it’s suggested that his agent has already revealed that the two clubs are in discussions over a deal.
However, the 23-year-old won’t be cheap as it’s added that he’s valued at £30m by the Ukrainian giants, and so it remains to be seen whether or not that’s enough to put Arsenal off and force them to consider alternative targets.
Meanwhile, it’s noted that Arteta would have had the chance to have a closer look at the defensive ace during Man City’s clashes with Shakhtar in the Champions League earlier this season, and so he’ll know exactly how good he is and whether or not he’d be a suitable addition to the Arsenal squad.
Time will tell if the Gunners hierarchy are willing to splash out or not, but ultimately if they want to help improve this current squad, defensive reinforcements must surely be the priority moving forward.