Atletico Madrid have joined the race to sign Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, with Arsenal also monitoring his situation.
The 26-year-old has featured prominently for the Dutch giants in the Eredivisie this season, impressing on the left-hand side with his astute positional sense in defence and passing accuracy, which has earned him a regular spot in the Argentina national team.
He has a pass completion rate of 86.1% for Ajax across all competitions so far this term and seems to be thriving at the Johan Cruyff Arena since his January move from Independiente in his homeland.
According to The Sun, Arsenal launched a £8 million bid for his signature at the end of October and are frontrunners to secure his services during the winter transfer window.
The Gunners have faced injury problems at left-back over the last three months, with Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac both suffering injuries which forced Granit Xhaka to fill in, with disastrous results defensively.
Unai Emery’s men are fifth in the Premier League and unbeaten in 16 matches, but they have looked vulnerable at the back and the Spanish boss could certainly use some reinforcements in the new year.
However, Mundo Deportivo reports that Atletico Madrid are set to do battle with Arsenal for Tagliafico, with Ajax now hoping to hold out for at least €20 million.
Atletico are looking for a long-term replacement for Felipe Luis, who at 32-years-old is out of contract at the end of the season and they see the Argentina international as the ideal target.
This latest news may come as a blow to Arsenal fans who hoped that they would be welcoming Tagliafico to the Emirates in 2019, but with a month and a half left before the window reopens this story could yet have several more twists and turns to come.
