Arsenal tracking £29.5m midfielder for over 3 years, club open to selling

Arsenal have been linked with Dejan Kulusevski ahead of the January transfer window.

And according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Gunners have been tracking the Juventus ace for over three years.

There’s scope for Arsenal to bolster their midfield ranks next month.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles looks set to join Roma, while Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are AFCON-bound.

Meanwhile, Kulusevski has struggled to cement a regular starting berth at his current club.

Gazzetta claims Juve “haven’t put up barriers” with regards to a potential January or summer move.

However, the Italians are reportedly only looking for a decent up-front transfer fee.

The outlet claims Arsenal “tracked the player from when he was in the Atalanta youth setup”.

Kulusevski graduated to their first-team in January 2019, so the Gunners would’ve been following him for at least three years.

However, Arsenal reportedly have competition from Tottenham – Gazzetta claims Fabio Paratici could swoop “with Antonio Conte’s full blessing”.

And the north Londoners could also be up against Bayern Munich, who have reportedly kept tabs on Kulusevski for a long time.

Arsenal – or indeed Tottenham or Bayern – would be looking to pay £29.5m to £33.5m minimum, according to Gazzetta.

Can Arsenal land “excellent” midfielder in 2022?

Kulusevski has been at Juve since 2020, when he joined from Atalanta in a reported £31.5million deal.

However, he doesn’t seem to be in Massimiliano Allegri’s plans and Juve are reportedly willing to sell him.

Kulusevski is a versatile player who’s apt in central midfield, at No. 10 and on the wing.

The 21-year-old’s key traits include technique, physicality and unselfishness on the pitch.

Kulusevski has the Cristiano Ronaldo seal of approval, the Portugal legend calling him “excellent” in 2020.

“He is a great talent,” Ronaldo told the Juve website. “He will help us to win and achieve incredible things.”