Arsenal are reportedly set to miss out on signing Steven N’Zonzi, with Roma said to be closing in on a deal to sign the Sevilla midfielder.
The Gunners have been busy this summer as new boss Unai Emery has begun to stamp his mark on the squad with the signings of Bernd Leno, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira.
Evidently with those additions, the focus has been on shoring things up at the back as while Arsenal boast great firepower and creativity from the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, they had the worst defensive record of the top seven sides in the Premier League last season.
In a bid to add more solidity and physicality in the heart of the line-up, Sky Sports noted earlier this month that the north London giants had set their sights on N’Zonzi, with Emery of course knowing the French World Cup winner well having worked with at Sevilla previously.
However, it would appear as though a reunion will not be on the cards, as Corriere dello Sport claim that N’Zonzi has agreed on personal terms with Roma, while a move worth €25m+ is said to be in the works so he can move to the Stadio Olimpico.
It may not be a done deal quite yet though if Arsenal do wish to make a late move to hijack the transfer, as it’s added that Roma must first offload Maxime Gonalons to balance the books and create space in the squad.
Time will tell if Emery is still eager to sign N’Zonzi as they will have to move quickly, but perhaps with Torreira being added to midfield options in Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka, it might be enough. Albeit it does perhaps still seem a little light if Arsenal want to compete on multiple fronts next season.