AS Roma are preparing for the departure of mercurial winger Cengiz Under after Arsenal lodged an official £29m bid for his services claims talkSPORT.
The Gunners bitter Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur already had a bid for the Turkey international rejected with claims the nomadic north London club were preparing a second bid for Under.
Unai Emery is looking to rebuild the Arsenal squad with the attacking width currently provided by Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal. The younger of the two Spaniards has created more opportunities and goals – he has four assists – than any other member of the current Gunners line-up.
However, the strain it puts on his defensive work is evident. At the beginning of the season, Bellerin took time to adapt to Emery’s style, frequently leaving gaps at the back which weren’t filled by midfielders.
The same problem exists on the left, leaving Emery looking at wide players who are effective. Despite four goals in the Premier League, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is disappointingly inconsistent while Alex Iwobi, for all his darting runs, is nowhere near as productive as his energy suggests.
With their 22-match unbeaten run coming to an end in a surprising 3 – 2 defeat at Southampton, the Arsenal coach is determined to strengthen the squad not only defensively but also in the wide attacking positions.
Under is a long-term Gunners target who is also coveted by Chelsea. However, Arsenal are currently favourites to land the much-admired Turkey international.
