Arsenal lead race for £77m ace compared to Lionel Messi as Martin Odegaard Plan B drawn up
Arsenal: The remaining Premier League fixtures
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Arsenal are reportedly ahead of Liverpool and Barcelona in the race to sign Nabil Fekir, with the Real Betis star having previously been compared to Lionel Messi. The Premier League side are also looking at other alternatives to Martin Odegaard should Real Madrid refuse to sell the attacking midfielder in the summer transfer window, as Express Sport brings you the latest Gunners news.
Arsenal lead race for £77m ace compared to Messi
Arenal are reportedly leading the race to sign Nabil Fekir from Real Betis this summer.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will be in the market for an attacking midfielder if Real Madrid decide to keep Odegaard – and Fekir appears to fit the bill.
The 27-year-old has played mainly as a No10 this season, but can also do a job on either flank.
And he was compared to Messi by former Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.
TRANSFER LATEST: Liverpool face £77m transfer bill to beat Arsenal to long-time target
“Nabil has got huge technical skills,” said Koscielny back in 2016, quoted by FourFourTwo.
He’s a bit like Messi with his small steps when he runs with the ball in one-on-one.”
Liverpool and Barcelona are also said to be keen on Fekir, but the Gunners are at the front of the queue with Arteta a big admirer of the France international, according to Tutto Mercato Web.
Fekir has scored three goals and notched six assists this season for Betis, who are sixth in La Liga under former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.
The midfielder was close to joining Liverpool in 2018, only for the move to fall through.
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Arteta identifies Odegaard Plan B
Arteta ‘would be delighted’ to sign Paulo Dybala, should a move for Martin Odegaard fail to materialise.
That’s according to Spanish newspaper Sport, which claims the Gunners boss has his sights set on the Juventus star.
Juve are keen on tying the former Argentina international down to an improved deal, but they are yet to strike an agreement with the player as he enters the final 12 months of his contract.
Chelsea are also believed to be interested in Dybala, who has lost his mojo under Andrea Pirlo in recent times after struggling with injuries.
Mavididi on Arsenal’s rising stars
Former Arsenal prospect Stephy Mavididi says Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe’s rise to prominence is fully deserved.
Mavididi is now playing for Montpellier in Ligue 1 after leaving the Gunners in 2018 after Arsene Wenger stepped down.
The 22-year-old learned his trade at Arsenal with the likes of Saka, Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Alex Iwobi, Serge Gnabry and Hector Bellerin, before joing Juventus en route to La Paillade.
And in an exclusive interview with Express Sport, he said: “Some of them are really, really close friends, even more than friends. More like family.
“Once you get over the age of 16, you’re all together. The best players play, regardless of your age but it’s good because you get to interact with old players and younger players and compete with them.
“The boys that are there now deserve their chance because they are good players.”
Mavididi also talked about training with Cristiano Ronaldo, rubbing shoulders with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, and his dream of playing for England in the interview, which you can read here.
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