Mertesacker’s Replacement? Arsenal Makes OFFICIAL Bid For High Rated CB

According to the Express, Arsenal have launched a £13 million bid for 20-year old Juventus defender, Daniele Rugani.

Rugani signed for the Italian Champions from Empoli after making 78 appearances for his former club, and scoring 5 goals in the process. Though, yet to play for Juventus since making the move, the rising star is thought to be one of the most promising defenders in the Serie A, which could well be the reason why Wenger is interested in bringing him to the Emirates.

The story, which was first reported by the Metro, revealed that Arsenal tabled a bid said to be worth £10.8m bid + £2.1m in bonuses, which of course, was rejected by the Italian club. The paper, however, adds that Juventus are willing to let the defender leave, provided Arsenal or any other club meets his transfer fee.

The Gunners are, however, not the only club interested in the services of Rugani, as another Italian club, Napoli are also said to be interested in his signature. Napolis’s bid to take the 20-year old on loan was also rebuffed by Juventus.

Rugani was a partly owned by both Juventus and Empoli before the former bought his full ownership in January—a deal, which all but confirmed the quality of the player.

While Arsenal are not urgently in need of a defender at the moment; Wenger could be lining up Rugani for the future. This also confirms the fact that Wenger’s ‘operation youth’ is not dead and buried as most fans are quick to point out.