Arsenal are back in the hunt to sign Sead Kolasinac and are set to go head-to-head with Chelsea in pursuit of the Schalke 04 defender, as per reports.

German publication Bild have reported that Arsenal have rejoined the race to sign Sead Kolasinac in the summer, and the Gunners are now all set to go head-to-head with Premier League rivals Chelsea in the chase for the highly rated Schalke 04 defender.

Sead Kolasinac continues to make waves for Schalke 04, having progressed rapidly ever since joining the Bundesliga outfit just over five years ago. Signing with Die Konigsblauen as an 18-year-old highly rated Bosnian defender, Kolasinac made rapid strides to progress from the youth team to the first team setup in just a year.

Since joining Schalke, Kolasinac has made a big impression, being solid at the back with his superb positional skills while contributing in attack with his forays down the left flank. On top of that, the Bosnian has shown that he can be a great asset to his teams with his versatility.

Although primarily a left-back, Kolasinac has also proven that he is equally adept at playing at left midfield, defensive midfield and centre-back. Numbers make for good reading too, with the promising young defender bagging 2 goals and 6 assists in 19 appearances in all competitions this season.

Heading off to London? (Photo courtesy - Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Heading off to London? (Photo courtesy – Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Chelsea were interested in signing Kolasinac in the winter transfer window, and they launched a late bid on deadline day to sign the youngster. However, their pursuits were subsequently thwarted, with Schalke rejecting the bid as manager Markus Weinzierl didn’t have a late fallback option.

Antonio Conte still remains interested in signing the player, with the Chelsea boss aiming to add top quality options in defence. With Kolasinac showing that he can just as easily play as a left midfielder as a left-back, the 23-year-old would fit right into Conte’s 3-4-3 system as well.

Arsenal have also been linked with Kolasinac previously, and the report states that Schalke’s rejection of Chelsea’s bid in the summer has put a spring in their step and the Gunners are now back in the chase to sign the Bosnia international.

With first-choice left-back Nacho Monreal showing signs of slowing down in recent games, Arsene Wenger is said to be keen to add a left-back to his squad, especially with backup option Kieran Gibbs out of favour and looking for a move away from the Emirates Stadium.

With Kolasinac providing more threat in attack, and with his ever improving displays at the back, he is just the kind of defender, who could replace Monreal in the back four at Arsenal, and be a long-term defensive solution for the club.

The Bosnian’s contract runs out at the end of the season and it looks highly unlikely that he will be renewing his deal with Schalke in the summer. Kolasinac can, thus, now speak with potential suitors and with Arsenal and Chelsea showing the most interest, it will be interesting to see which part of London the left-back heads to in the summer.

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