Agent involved in Timothy Castagne deal claims Arsenal were ‘seriously interested’

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Leicester City moved quickly to replace Ben Chilwell this summer by snapping up versatile Belgian wing-back Timothy Castagne from Atalanta. 

As reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, the Foxes agreed to pay a fee in the region of £21.5 million for the player, who has helped the Italian side join their nation’s elite clubs. 

But it seems Leicester were not the only team interested in his signature.

According to the intermediary who helped put the deal together, Arsenal were also interested in the player. 

George Gardi, a football agent who works closely with Pini Zahavi, stated that both Arsenal and PSG were also in touch regarding a deal. 

“There were several teams seriously interested in the player such as Arsenal and PSG,” Gardi told TuttoMercatoWeb. “Then the market combinations prevailed. Leicester, having made an important sale, were the first among the contenders to meet the demands of both Atalanta and the player. Zahavi’s approval of the operation gave reassurance to what we were doing.”

The PSG interest was fairly well known but Arsenal’s would be considered more of a surprise. 

There was a lot of talk regarding a potential move to North London for Castagne, but it was Tottenham Hotspur who were being heavily linked.

In fact, Castagne even admitted that he was an Arsenal fan, but that it would not stop him joining Spurs this summer if the opportunity arose.

“I was especially a fan [of Arsenal] when Thierry Henry played for them,” Castagne revealed to Derniere Heure. “Now I’m not so much. You have to be honest with yourself. When a team like PSG or Tottenham come knocking on your door, you can hardly refuse.” 

Arsenal do appear to have some concerns over the long-term future of Hector Bellerin whilst Castagne could offer cover for Kieran Tierney at left-back. 

With Ainsley Maitland-Niles also being linked with an exit this summer, a similarly interchangeable player would undoubtedly have been interesting to Arsenal. 

But Castagne will line up for Arsenal’s Premier League rivals this season instead and Gunners fans will hope they do not live to regret missing out.