Arsenal have set their sights on Club Brugge’s rising star Odilon Kossounou, who could be available for a meagre fee of just £8.5 million.
According to Mirror, Arsenal are eyeing a summer swoop for Odilon Kossounou. The Club Brugge midfielder has become a top target for the Premier League giants, with Mikel Arteta keen on bolstering his options in the defensive unit.
Kossounou himself favours a move to England, amid interest from Inter Milan and Spain. The centre-back, who can also play as a midfielder, has a contract with Brugge until 2024. However, he could be available for as low as £8.5 million in the summer – making him a potential bargain for Arsenal, especially given the player’s performances in Belgium.
Indeed, Kossounou has emerged as one of the rising stars in the Jupiler Pro League, becoming an ever-present figure in the Club Brugge backline. The Ivorian has really stepped up in the absence of Stefano Denswil due to injury, with his defensive partnership alongside Brandon Mechele playing a vital role in helping the club dominating the Belgian top flight this campaign.
Although the report from Mirror cites Kossounou as a replacement for Dani Ceballos, perhaps due to his ability to operate in the holding midfield role, it appears the Club Brugge star could be a better fit at centre-back.
The Ivorian has spent the majority of the campaign playing in that role, impressing the onlookers with his ability to read the game. Standing at 1.91m, his physicality and an imposing presence at the back could make him an ideal replacement for the outgoing central defenders in Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis.
At the age of just 20, Kossounou, alongside William Saliba could offer Mikel Arteta a lot of prospect for the future, especially with David Luiz nearing the final stage of his career, although the Brazilian is set to be offered a contract extension at Emirates this season.
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Both the players have room to improve, but can offer some excellent backup for first-choice centre-backs in Gabriel Magalhaes, Luiz and Rob Holding. Kossounou, for one, can also be utilised as a holding midfielder if required, which could be useful as Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard are both set to return to Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen whether the Gunners manage to keep hold of either of those players. But in Kossounou, they could bag a real bargain, especially for a fee of just £8.5 million this summer.
