Chelsea have emerged as a potential destination for Jakub Jankto, with the Blues set to rival Arsenal in pursuit of the Udinese midfielder.

According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal may find themselves with some domestic competition in their pursuit of Udinese midfielder Jakub Jankto. AC Milan, Juventus and others have withdrawn their interest but Chelsea seems to have joined the race for the midfielder, who has been on the radar for Arsenal for a while now.

Jakub Jankto made his way to Italy in the summer of 2014. But, it was the 2016-17 season that saw him emerge as one of the most commanding presences in the midfield in Serie A. Predominantly a left midfielder, the player can also play through the middle and has been deployed in both the positions with much success.

A tricky customer with the ball, the 21-year-old seems to have added goals to his kitty as well, with 5 goals and 3 assists in 15 appearances – a stark improvement compared to his earlier numbers.

Arsenal were interested in the player from the summer transfer window. Arsene Wenger seems to be one of the managers who scouted the player out towards the end of last season and the North Londoners were heavily linked with a summer bid.

Arsenal still retain interest and with central midfield one of Wenger’s priorities for reinforcements come January, the Gunners could lodge an official bid for the Czech Republic international in the coming month.

Chelsea are a new entrant though, with Tiemoue Bakayoko failing to replace Nemanja Matic in the midfield. The Blues have sent out other promising talents like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah in the summer, which means that the club is heavily short-staffed in the said position.

January reinforcements are needed and with Jankto being valued by Udinese around the €25 million mark, Arsenal and Chelsea could end up vying for the 21-year-old’s signature. Jankto himself gave a boost to his chances of coming to England, stating that while he is currently concentrating only and only on Udinese, he cannot rule out a move away from Italy in the future.

“I have to stay focused only on Udinese, we are only in December. My future in the Premier League? I’ve always said that I do not want to stay in Italy all my career,” said Jankto, as quoted by Corriere dello Sport’s report.

Arsenal do have an upper hand, owing to the player being hailed as the “next Tomas Rosicky” and the long-standing links to Arsenal. However, Chelsea may tempt him with a better offer. A January move or not, Jankto looks to be on his way to becoming a sought-after property in the transfer market.

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