Odsonne Edouard blow comes with one upside for Arsenal

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Arsenal’s hopes of signing Odsonne Edouard appear to be nearly over – judging by a report from the Daily Mail earlier this month.

The Gunners were reportedly keen on signing the Celtic star this summer (Scottish Daily Mail; 26/2; back page). However, it appears that he may now be headed elsewhere.

According to the Mail, Leicester City believe that they have won the race to sign the Frenchman. A fee of around £15 million is apparently close to being agreed.

It would be a blow for Arsenal to miss out. Football London recently suggested that it is looking likely that Alexandre Lacazette will be on the move this summer.

Edouard looks to be a player who could be around in the Premier League for a very long time. And Leicester fans would be forgiven for thinking that any deal for around £15 million could be an amazing piece of business.

But there is one very small upside for Arsenal if he does indeed head to the King Power Stadium.

Edouard is not the only striker the Gunners have been linked with recently. According to TEAMtalk, they are one of several clubs keen on Ivan Toney.

In fact, it is claimed that Arsenal are one of the teams who have asked Brentford to keep them informed about his situation.

The good news is one of their rivals for his signature may soon choose to take themselves out of the race. That is because TEAMtalk also names Leicester as one of the £30 million-rated star’s admirers.

Admittedly, there are still several others in the running. But West Ham are the only other team currently above the Gunners in the table also mentioned in the report.

So while Arsenal still have a lot of competition for Toney’s signature, it does appear that one of the biggest hurdles in front of them may have now disappeared.