Arsenal set sights on 22-year-old target as Arteta looks to address key issue

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Arsenal are reportedly in talks over Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, although they may face competition from the likes of AC Milan and Leicester City.

The Gunners are down in ninth place in the Premier League table as things stand, and have conceded 36 goals in their 28 league games so far this season.

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That gives them the third worst defensive record of the top nine sides, and so their troubles at the back remains an issue that needs to be fixed.

Things have certainly improved under Mikel Arteta as they conceded just four goals in their last seven games across all competitions prior to the suspension of the campaign, while performances and results in general are better under the Spaniard.

However, as reported by the Sun, via Italian journalist Nicolo Schira in his tweet below, the Arsenal boss could be looking at reinforcements for his defence this summer as talks are said to be ongoing over Celtic’s Ajer.

The 22-year-old Norwegian international has cemented his place as a key figure for Celtic since joining in 2017, making 49 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

Having raided the Scottish giants for Kieran Tierney last summer, Arsenal could be set for another shopping trip north of the border as per reports.

Arteta will welcome William Saliba back to the club this summer as he’s set to return from his loan spell, while he’ll still have the likes of Sokratis, David Luiz, Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi at his disposal moving forward.

Nevertheless, he’ll no doubt want to stamp his mark on the squad too and bring in players that suit his ideas and style, while loanee Pablo Mari will also hope to secure a permanent switch after joining the Gunners on loan in January.

In turn, competition could perhaps be fierce for Ajer if he did secure a switch to north London, but based on the goals conceded with the current group of defenders dating back to last season after they let in 51 goals in the league, bringing in a reinforcement could be a smart move from Arteta.

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