Arsenal now "working hard" to convince "world-class" £310k-p/w star to join

Arsenal are now "working hard" to convince a "world-class" player to join in the summer, with talks ongoing to gauge what it would take to get a deal over the line, according to ex-scout Mick Brown.

Gunners eyeing players with Champions League pedigree

The Gunners have almost certainly booked their place in the Champions League quarter-final after a 7-1 demolition of PSV Eindhoven away from home last night, and they are continuing to look at other players performing well in Europe's elite competition this season.

After the arrival of new director of football Andrea Berta is confirmed, a bid could be made for Lille striker Jonathan David, who assisted Hakon Arnar Harldsson's goal in the French side's 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund yesterday.

Not only are the north Londoners keen on a striker, but they are also looking at strengthening in central midfield, and Atletico Madrid's Pablo Barrios has now been identified as a potential alternative to Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, amid interest from Real Madrid.

Related Arsenal now preparing £83m offer for "future legend" instead of Zubimendi The Gunners are now assessing alternatives to Zubimendi, who is yet to fully agree a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Another midfielder Arsenal have been linked with is Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich, and Brown has now dropped an update on their pursuit of the German in an interview with Football Insider.

"Arsenal have been working hard behind the scenes to reach an agreement with him. They’ve been speaking to his representatives to gauge what it would take to agree a deal.

"Now, they’ll be trying to convince him to join them rather than going elsewhere or staying at Bayern. Kimmich would bring a lot of experience to this Arsenal team and I think that’s what Mikel Arteta will be looking at – he’s won all there is to win."

"World class" Kimmich could be a fantastic signing

Kimmich could be a versatile option for Arteta, having regularly featured at right-back and central-midfield throughout his career, and his ability going forward has been on show in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League this season.

The Germany international has already reached 10 assists in all competitions, and he ranks highly across a number of key attacking metrics over the past year, when compared to other midfielders.

Statistic Average per 90 Assists 0.28 (96th percentile) Progressive passes 10.0 (99th percentile) Shot-creating actions 5.07 (98th percentile) Progressive carries 2.29 (89th percentile)

Combine the "world-class" midfielder's talent on the front foot with his ability to fill in at right-back when required, as well as his proven track record of winning trophies, and Arsenal could have a fantastic signing this summer, should they win the race for his signature.

The only concern will be the fact Kimmich is now 30-years-old, and he is on very high wages with Bayern, raking in £310k-per-week, so the Gunners will need to be careful not to hand out a huge contract to a player who may not have re-sell value.

Click here to read article