Report: Arsenal Eyes Juventus's Daniele Rugani as Defensive Reinforcement
Arsenal will reportedly go toe to toe with Manchester United this summer as they look to secure a £25m deal for Juventus star Daniele Rugani, with the Gunners eyeing an upgrade on their under-fire center back Shkodran Mustafi.
The Italy international has struggled to break into Massimiliano Allegri's first team this season despite the departure of Leonardo Bonucci last year, making just 17 Serie A appearances.
But Rugani is still held in high regard across Europe thanks to an outstanding two-year loan spell with Empoli between 2013 and 2015.
With promising defender Mattia Caldara set to return to Turin this summer following a season-long loan with Atalanta, Juventus will be willing to listen to offers for Rugani when the transfer window reopens on June 9th.
A report from TEAMtalk suggests that Arsenal have been weighing up moves for a defender this season due to the erratic form of Mustafi and Rugani is said to be at the top of their list of potential recruits.
The World Cup winner only moved to the Emirates in 2016 but there is still doubt over his quality among a large portion of the Gunners fan base.
Rugani is just one name that has emerged on their radar throughout the season and his agent, Davide Torchia, confirmed that Arsenal "expressed a liking" for the Italy international during the January transfer window.
But Arsenal will have to act quickly if they want to sign Rugani this summer. Premier League rivals Manchester United are also said to be considering a move for the Juventus defender as uncertainty surrounding the future of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelöf continues to grow at Old Trafford.
