Premier League giants Arsenal have been extremely busy in the summer transfer window. Newly appointed boss Unai Emery has been doing a commendable by signing big and necessary players to bolster his roster for the upcoming season.
Bernd Leno, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi are the five players that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss has already managed to bag. Unai Emery is now reportedly looking for a winger. Leon Bailey is the identified target.
The 20 year old is currently with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. He has been with the Bundesliga outfit since 2017. He joined the club from Belgian side Genk and has created a positive impression of himself. A winger who can play on both flanks is exactly what the Gunners need. The Jamaican starlet has also been linked with a move to Chelsea since Maurizio Sarri’s appointment. Leon Bailey has attracted attention from other Premier League clubs since January, but now- Arsenal and Chelsea are frontrunners.
It is being claimed that the Gunners could make a bid and try to grab their target in the next week. While no fee is agreed or reported, it could be something in the range of £30 million. That is a reasonable amount that both parties could agree upon.
After a sensational first full season at Die Werkself, Bailey has been the subject of immense attention. He recently spoke about his desire of playing in the Premier League. And the youngster put Arsenal and Chelsea on red alert in April, saying: “As a young Jamaican, we dreamt of [playing for big Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea] because these were teams that when we saw them play, we wish we could just be there to just see one of those players.
“Now you’ve been there, you’re hearing these things, it makes you feel [like], ‘Damn, I’m really making progress.’
“For me, it’s more about progress and working hard because when you’re working hard, you’re going to reach those points.
“So, of course for me, it gives me a feeling to make me want to work harder to even be recognised by bigger teams, so that’s something that motivates me to want to work harder and push for more.”
As per new guidelines, the Premier League’s transfer window will come to a close on 9th August at 5:00pm, which is one day before the competition’s kick-off. Unai Emery’s competitive debut for his new side will be against defending champions Manchester City. The Gunners host Pep Guardiola’s men on Sunday 12th August.
