Arsenal are reportedly set to battle Leicester City and Aston Villa in the race to sign Odsonne Edouard in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Leicester Mercury, Arsenal have joined Aston Villa and Leicester City in pursuit of Odsonne Edouard. The 23-year-old French striker could be available for just £20 million in the summer transfer window, with AS Roma also tailing him over a possible move.
Odsonne Edouard arrived at Celtic from PSG in the summer of 2017 and has since made some massive improvements in his game. Having initially joined on loan, the Scottish giants made his stay permanent in 2018, with the Frenchman becoming an important member of the first-team squad.
In the ongoing campaign, Edouard has been a rare bright spot for Celtic, who have struggled a great deal till date and are set to be dethroned as the Scottish champions. Although not always in full flow, Edouard’s returns of 20 goals and 4 assists in 32 appearances is impressive. His continued progress has alerted Arsenal, Leicester City and Aston Villa.
Arsenal have long been linked with a possible move for Edouard and the upcoming summer transfer window could be the perfect time to launch the offensive for the 23-year-old striker. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might be showing some signs of resurgence, but there could still soon be a need of a striker.
Recent reports suggest that Alexandre Lacazette could be set to leave Arsenal in the summer, while the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun also face uncertain futures at the Emirates. Hence, it might become a necessity for Arsenal to enter the market for a striker, with Edouard a viable target. However, they face stiff competition from Leicester and Aston Villa.
Leicester, in particular, could well be the favourites to sign Edouard, seeing as Brendan Rodgers was in-charge at Celtic when Edouard joined from PSG. With Jamie Vardy in the twilight of his career, the Foxes could do with a striker. Aston Villa’s interest, though, is interesting, considering the success of Ollie Watkins this season.
Apart from Arsenal and the other two Premier League clubs, AS Roma are also keen on signing Edouard, with Edin Dzeko set to leave the Serie A club in the summer. Each of the four suitors, though, are sure to be boosted by the 23-year-old’s £20 million price tag.
Meanwhile, Arsenal might want to take advantage of the fact that Edouard recently changed agents and is now represented by the same agent as former Celtic defender Kieran Tierney. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see which club manages to succeed in pursuit of the Frenchman, who should be set for a big summer move.
