‘We get on well’: £35m Arsenal target says he’s already really good friends with 24-year-old Gunners player

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Kaoru Mitoma has been discussing his relationship with Takehiro Tomiyasu amid a backdrop of interest from Arsenal in his services.

The Brighton star spoke about settling in in the UK to Optus Sport, and he was asked whether or not Tomiyasu had helped him transition to life in England.

Of course, Tomiyasu and Mitoma know each other well from their time together for the Japanese national team, and Mitoma has now admitted that the pair are actually quite close friends.

Mitoma and Tomiyasu good friends

The Brighton star spoke about his friendship with the Arsenal ace.

“How have you found it settling in England, does it help having a teammate like Tomiyasu living nearby?” Mitoma was asked.

“I haven’t found it tough living here yet. Having him in London is a nice reassurance even if I can’t see him much because of busy shcedules. But we get along well as teammates for Japan and we both strive to play at higher levels,” Mitoma said.

Future teammates?

This isn’t going to slow down speculation about Arsenal making a move for Mitoma this summer.

The Gunners have been strongly linked with the £35m winger in recent weeks, and the fact that he’s already got a friend within the Arsenal squad in the shape of Tomiyasu may well sway him towards joining Mikel Arteta’s side.

Of course, Mitoma is currently doing some brilliant stuff with Brighton, so he may not be too keen to move on anytime soon, but if Tomiyasu can sell a move to Arsenal to him, perhaps he could end up in north London at some point.

Whether or not Mitoma ends up at Arsenal remains to be seen, but if he does, he shouldn’t have any trouble settling in due to Tomiyasu’s presence.