Arsenal make SHOCK move for relegated star

Tom Weber

• 13 Jun 2023 20:29 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal are taking a keen interest in Leicester City defender Timothy Castagne, according to reports from Belgium.

The Gunners are in the market for a right-back this summer as Mikel Arteta has too often had to shoehorn one of his central defenders into the position. With Takhehiro Tomiyasu often plagued by injury, Ben White has had to regularly deputise at right-back in recent months, though Arteta would prefer him to provide cover at centre-back.

With this in mind, the north London side have been scouring Europe for a new full-back for months. Sacha Boey of Galatasaray was at one time heavily linked, while the name of Real Valladolid's Ivan Fresneda has once again flared up of late, as it had already in January.

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Indeed, the latter is considered the preferred option despite his tender years. The Gunners will, however, have to battle Borussia Dortmund for the 18-year-old's signature. Should they fail to land the Spaniard, they do also have a Plan B lined up.

Gunners eye Castagne

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Arsenal are keeping tabs on Timothy Castagne of relegated Leicester City. In fact, they have already begun talks over a move, but after claiming that "things could develop quickly," Tavolieri has now urged more patience. Nevertheless, he has also announced that the Foxes are prepared to sell.

Castagne has been virtually ever-present for Leicester since signing from Atalanta for €21 million in 2020. Given Leicester's relegation, he may be available for around the same price or even less despite his value having risen since his move.

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This would put him in a similar price bracket to Fresneda, who is said to be available for €20m. It will be interesting to see if Arteta and Arsenal's recruitment team will try to sign an 18-year-old youngster or a Premier League-experienced 27-year-old.

The former may have more upside, but the latter could prove more reliable in Arsenal's potential title challenge next season - though that is certainly up for debate considering that both players were relegated last term.