Arsenal are reportedly ready to rival Liverpool in pursuit of Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic in a potential £25 million swoop.

That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star) who stated that, while Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of the Croatia international, so too is Gunners boss Arsene Wenger. Brozovic only recently joined the Serie A side on a permanent deal, although the club are said to be happy to move him on for the aforementioned valuation.

The versatile 23-year-old has caught the eye with some distinguished performances in the Italian top flight. Here is a glimpse of what he can offer when in the mood:

Brozovic also showed glimpses of real quality with some classy outings at the UEFA European Championship this summer and would be a key man for plenty of elite European sides.

For Inter and Croatia, he’s shown a very useful adaptability. Brozovic can sit in deeper position in midfield, can shine as a box-to-box player and make an impact in the attacking third with his scuttles forward. As a technically proficient footballer, he’d fit in well at the Emirates Stadium too.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe commented on how well Brozovic fared in a wider berth at the Euros for Croatia:

Having a player who is so flexible is never a bad thing, even for a team like Arsenal who have so many midfield options. Brozovic would fit in well with the style of play deployed by Wenger and has the physicality in his game to cope with the intensity of English football. With so many competitions to come next term, he’d be an asset.

Liverpool would benefit in a similar way if they were able to lure him to Anfield, and Brozovic would arguably get more game time in a Reds squad less stocked with midfield options. That will surely be something the player will consider should both outfits meet his asking price.

 

Leicester City to Discuss Riyad Mahrez

According to Aidan Magee of Sky Sports News HQ, Leicester are set to hold talks over the future of Riyad Mahrez, with the winger linked with a move to Arsenal.

It’s stated the Algerian’s position will be “on the agenda” when the club’s “owners and officials” sit down in Los Angeles on Monday. As noted in the piece, the Gunners have been strongly linked with a possible pursuit of last season’s PFA Player of the Year.

Indeed, Mahrez emerged as one of the stars of English football’s top flight in 2015-16, as he inspired the Foxes to a surprise title triumph. As these numbers from Squawka Football show, he was thrilling to watch last term:

And as we can see here courtesy of Leicester’s Twitter feed, he seems to have carried his excellent form into pre-season too:

For Leicester it’d be a big disappointment if their star man was to depart, especially having already lost N’Golo Kante to Chelsea this summer. Mahrez was the man who added the stardust to the functional, counter-attacking football the Foxes played under Claudio Ranieri last term; he’d be an extremely difficult presence to replace.

Arsenal will be keen to capitalise on any indecisiveness, as Mahrez has the potential to add another dangerous attacking edge to their play. Leicester seem keen to get the issue sorted quickly and will hope these talks make the winger’s situation clearer. Gunners fans will remain hopeful they can lure this rising star of world football to the Emirates.

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