da dobrowin： According to Guardian Sport deputy news editor Ed Aarons on Twitter, Arsenal remain in the hunt to sign Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri this summer with AS Roma unwilling to pay his €40m (approximately £35.2m) release clause.
What’s the word, then?
da betcris： Well, the 25-year-old has become one of the most wanted central midfielders in European football following an outstanding campaign for Nice in Ligue 1, as they finished third in the table behind Paris Saint-Germain and the champions AS Monaco.
The Guardian reported in May that he was a target for Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, and now the French manager could make a move with Roma stalling on a deal as he looks to strengthen his squad to ensure that they don’t miss out on Champions League football again.
Just how good was Seri last season?
He was outstanding.
A box-to-box player, the Ivory Coast international showed his attacking threat by scoring seven goals and providing a further nine assists for Nice in 34 Ligue 1 appearances, while he also showed his ability to get past players by successfully completing 33 of the 39 take-ons he attempted.
He is also useful from a defensive point of view too having made 28 interceptions and 21 clearances, to show the impact he can make at both ends of the pitch.
Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?
He should be, yes.
Seri is probably most similar to Jack Wilshere in the current Arsenal squad in terms of his style of play, and the fact that he can create and provide bundles of energy from the middle of the park would make him a useful addition to the team.
Where would he fit in?
It’s difficult to say really.
In the 3-4-2-1 formation that Wenger deployed at the end of last season he would probably sit alongside a more defensively-minded player, but that would usually mean Francis Coquelin or Mohamed Elneny rather than Granit Xhaka or Aaron Ramsey.
However, the latter duo did play together in the middle of the park during that period and Seri would likely replace one of them, or more likely they would alternate due to the fixture congestion caused by their involvement in the Europa League in order to keep things fresh.
Would they pay more than £35m?
It’s difficult to say.
Links to the Monaco duo Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar, as well as Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, suggest that Wenger is keen to use the majority of his budget on attacking players, but if he really wants Seri he knows what he has to pay.