According to reports, Arsenal are working on a new deal to sign Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko.
David Ornstein has reported in a recent tweet that Arsenal have turned their attention to the Ukrainian defender after failing to sign Lisandro Martinez.
? EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal working on deal to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko from Man City. Clubs in talks, #MCFC open to sale if valuation met. #AFC would also need to agree personal terms. Versatile 25yo now priority for Arteta after missing Martinez @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/e3r0Xmyh67
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 14, 2022
Arteta had viewed Martinez as the perfect fit, and the Gunners pushed hard to sign the versatile Argentinian, as per Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive CaughtOffside column on Substack.
However, the North London club had failed to meet Ajax’s asking price, and now Martinez looks set to join Manchester United as Ajax have reportedly accepted their £46m bid.
????????: Ajax accept Man United’s £46m bid for Lisandro Martinez.
– talkSPORT sources understand
? Listen ? https://t.co/VJgUHnqdM1 pic.twitter.com/OecUAmocNd
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 14, 2022
Arteta has now turned his attention to the Ukraine international as he looks to bolster the back lines after signing his former team-mate Gabriel Jesus from City.
The 25-year-old could provide backup and competition for the current injury-prone left-back, Kieran Tierney, and his versatility would appeal to any manager.
Zinchenko first played for Manchester City in 2017, after a loan spell at PSV and made 28 appearances in all competitions for the Citizens last season.
However, Zinchenko struggled to secure a starting role in Pep Guardiola’s squad ahead of City’s number one left-back Joao Cancelo.
According to MEN, City have also been rumoured to be in the market for Brighton and Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella, which would likely mean even less game time for the Ukrainian.