Arsenal are reportedly interested in Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso and are plotting a €60 million summer move for the Bundesliga rookie.

Corentin Tolisso is a surprise name to emerge on the Arsenal radar. But, if the exclusive report from Calcio Insider is to be believed, the Gunners are eyeing a summer deal to sign the Bayern Munich midfielder, with a €60 million bid lined up for the Frenchman.

Bayern Munich surprised many in the summer of 2017, not by breaking their club transfer record, but in order to bring Corentin Tolisso over to Bundesliga from Lyon. The move though, could have turned into a disaster, for, according to Bayern chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge, the player was “Carlo Ancelotti’s wish for the midfield”.

But, Tolisso managed to keep his place after the departure of Ancelotti and the return of Jupp Heynckes, managing 26 Bundesliga appearances while being a regular fixture for Bayern Munich in the Champions League and DFB Pokal. What was most impressive was Tolisso’s pedigree to be the difference-maker on the pitch, scoring crucial goals and setting up teammates when it mattered the most.

Tolisso's debut campaign in the Bundesliga can be chalked down as a success. (Picture Courtesy - AFP/Getty Images)
Tolisso’s debut campaign in the Bundesliga can be chalked down as a success. (Picture Courtesy – AFP/Getty Images)

In the Champions League, Tolisso scored one and assisted another in Bayern’s 2-1 win over Anderlecht while scoring a brace in a 3-1 win over PSG. The league highlight was his winner and the only goal of the match in the game against Hamburg. But, Tolisso did not start in the DFB Pokal final defeat to Frankfurt.

And with Niko Kovac taking over from Heynckes, Tolisso could still trickle down the pecking order, with the new manager likely to bring in a few signings to stamp his identity over the squad based on his footballing philosophy. This has reportedly caught Arsenal’s attention and the Gunners are looking to finally secure Tolisso’s signature after flirting with the same for a while before the midfielder moved to Bayern Munich.

Unai Emery has taken over from Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and one of his priorities would be to revamp the midfield. Santi Cazorla is set to leave the club while Jack Wilshere also seems to be on his way out of the club. Aaron Ramsey has been offered a new long-term contract, but will be sold if he does not commit to the deal.

Emery would need an able box-to-box midfielder in Arsenal’s midfield and Tolisso could be just that man. Add to that his ability to find the target from range, evidenced by his wondrous effort against Freiburg, and Arsenal could add a potent option to their squad, should they be able to convince Tolisso to join the Emery project at Emirates.

According to reports, Bayern Munich are open to selling the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Arturo Vidal, Juan Bernat and Jerome Boateng, but Tolisso has not been named, perhaps hinting at the Frenchman being in the plans of new manager Niko Kovac.

The only contentious point would be the fee mentioned by Calcio Insider. The report iterates that Arsenal are prepared to shell out €60 million to land Tolisso and even if Bayern agree to sell the midfielder at that price, this would mean spending almost the entire reported budget made available to Emery for just one addition to the squad, something that is highly unlikely.

So, while Arsenal might be interested in Tolisso and maybe Bayern Munich would be open to the idea of selling the 23-year-old, should an enticing offer be tabled to them, the Gunners spending €60 million on Tolisso alone is hard to digest. The deal might still happen, but we could see a lower fee, with perhaps a player swap included.

However, it may still happen, but the fee will have to come down, if reports of the budget restraint by the Arsenal board is indeed true.

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