Report: Everton and Arsenal to battle it out for Unai Nunez

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Everton and Arsenal will reportedly do battle over Athletic Bilbao defender Unai Nunez.

According to The Daily Mail, Unai Emery and Marco Silva are both considering moves for the Spaniard, who is thought to have a release clause in the region on £30 million.

Nunez, 22, has seen his stock rise in recent times following a strong showing with Spain at the U21 European Championships this summer.

Frustratingly for the centre-half, he has only made a handful of appearances for Bilbao in 2019/20 so far, which could encourage the Premier League outfits to make a move in January.

TBR’s view

Nunez is very much a typical modern day central defender: strong, quick and can pass the ball well.

He also has an eye for a cross-field diagonal, something a top former Bilbao defender before him, Aymeric Laporte, is quite well known for.

These attributes make him an enticing proposition – and certainly Everton could do with somebody with a turn of pace at the back with Michael Keane and Yerry Mina not the quickest

Arsenal also do not have the quickest centre-halves and Nunez could be a decent long-term option, especially with David Luiz and Sokratis both the wrong side of 30.

It is worth noting though that the Gunners are to welcome young William Saliba to the club ahead of 2020/21.