Arsenal take a close look at Saka’s PERFECT backup

Robin Bairner

• 10 Apr 2024 07:02 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal were given a close look at a player who could provide them with the perfect support option to Bukayo Saka when they drew 2-2 with the Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Finding a suitable backup option for the England winger is set to be high on the list of manager Mikel Arteta’s priorities for the summer, with Saka often asked to go through the pain barrier for the Gunners.

Even if the 22-year-old is happy to do so, saying at the weekend he is happy to play as long as he can run, this is a situation that is not ideal for his long-term wellbeing.

READ MORE: Arsenal ready to pay €110m for Real Madrid star who can become BIGGER than Bellingham

Bayern’s Kingsley Coman is, therefore, a player Arsenal could potentially look at signing in the summer.

Bild has announced that the Champions League quarter-finalists are happy to sell him after what has been a miserable season.

FCB are ready to complete a summer clear-out after comprehensively being blown out of the water in the Bundesliga by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who will win their first crown in a matter of days.

Coman, meanwhile, will be allowed to leave because of the sheer number of injury issues he has suffered, yet Bayern have put a surprisingly high price tag on a player who Arsenal have tried to sign in the past.

EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal open contract talks with Trossard

The Bundesliga giants are set to demand a transfer fee of €70 million for the former PSG youth, who scored the goal that won the Champions League in 2019/20.

Coman may have little to prove in terms of his skill level, yet the 27-year-old’s body is unreliable. He has played more than 25 league games in a season once in his career and has never managed 40 matches in a season.

Arsenal can’t meet Bayern’s Coman demand

Data analytics firm SciSports recommend Arsenal to Coman, too. Its Career Advice tool puts the North London side second behind only Real Madrid in terms of perfect transfer destinations for him.

One of the reasons the Gunners lag behind Los Blancos is a likely lack of playing time. A backup role to Saka could suit him, though. Managing his minutes would take the pressure off his body and might, finally, allow him to become fully fit.

READ MORE: Latest Arsenal transfer rumours

Arsenal, meanwhile, are unlikely to move at a €70m price point. Coman’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is €40m, having hit a high previously of €69m in August 2022. It has fallen after another season riddled with niggles in which he has scored only five goals and created three more.

The attacker’s story could have been so different had he picked the Gunners when he left PSG 10 years ago, with Arsene Wenger previously having spoken of how close he was to signing him.

“We really tried to sign Kingsley Coman in the summer of 2014,” the former Arsenal manager admitted. “The transfer was almost completed, but he preferred Juventus.”

Coman featured for 24 minutes as Bayern drew with Arsenal on Tuesday, but unless the Bundesliga side are flexible on his transfer fee, it might be the last time the France star features at the Emirates.