Romano CONFIRMS Arsenal interest in shock €25m Caicedo alternative

Robin Bairner

• 27 May 2023 10:26 BST
• 3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Arsenal’s interest in Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey.

Reports broke in Turkey that the Gunners are looking at the former Rennes youth player as a solution to their problem position in their defence, though their proposed €17 million transfer package had been trumped by an offer from Brighton.

The Seagulls are reportedly willing to pay €18.5m for the former France U20 player, who moved to the Super Lig side in 2021 for just €1m.

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Romano has revealed that neither bid is likely to be enough to tempt Galatasaray into selling a player with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €4.5m, but whose peak value has previously hit €17.5m.

Previously, Ajax, Sporting CP, Udinese and Lyon had been linked with the 22-year-old, but the interest of the Premier League big-hitters complicates matters.

Galatasaray’s asking price for Boey is also an impediment to the non-Premier League clubs in this race. According to Romano, the Turkish side asked for a fee of at least €25m in a London meeting.

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Caicedo alternative?

Arsenal are exploring the possibility of signing Boey as a possible alternative to Moises Caicedo, who would likely cost three or four times his price.

FootballTransfers understands that one of the reasons that Mikel Arteta is chasing Brighton man Caicedo is because of his ability to play as an inverted full-back on the right side of the defence.

With talks for Declan Rice going well in midfield, if Arsenal were to also add Boey to their ranks, the need for Caicedo would again be reduced.

Arteta, though, is likely to want two central midfielders this season, with Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga both likely to start. Caicedo would not be off the table entirely, particularly with Chelsea demanding a lavish fee for Mason Mount, who is out of contract in the summer of 2024 and attracting plenty of interest.

There is little doubt, though, that signing Boey would represent a step away from a deal for Caicedo.