Arsenal still in the hunt for Nice’s midfield maestro
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After signing Alexandre Lacazette for a club record fee, things have gone a little quiet at Arsenal of late.
But according to several reports in the press, the Gunners are far from finished in this window, with Nice’s Jean Michael Seri the man in question.
The 26-year-old could be available for around £35m, and his performances last season courted plenty of attention.
Seri ran the show for Nice from central midfield, producing seven goals and nine assists as the Riviera outfit finished third in Ligue 1, having lead for much of the campaign.
While the Ivorian looks poised to make a step up to one of Europe or England’s heavyweights, Nice appear happy to cash in.
Having signed the midfielder for just £250k two years ago from Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira, the French outfit are on course for a substantial windfall.
And with Seri’s contract expiring in 2019, his current value is unlikely to rise any further.
Arsenal are still looking for the right man to pull the strings in the middle, with the club struggling to find a successor to Santi Cazorla.
While Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin are happy to pile in with the tackles, the Gunners have been lacking that creative spark.
Monaco’s Thomas Lemar had seemingly been on course to join Arsene Wenger’s men, but talk of that move has now gone quiet.
But Arsenal might still have to fight to land Seri, with near neighbours Tottenham also reportedly keen.
The intrigue with Spurs however, is that they already boast Dele Alli and Moussa Dembele, so it’s less obvious where Seri would fit in under Mauricio Pochettino.
And that could be key, with the man himself quoted this week saying he would only leave Nice for guaranteed first-team football.
Does that give Arsenal the upper hand? Watch this space.
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