Arsenal will switch their attention to signing Manchester United star Jesse Lingard should they fail in a move to sign Leicester City playmaker James Maddison.
Mikel Arteta has prioritised signing an attacking midfielder this summer and the Spaniard is a huge admirer of 24-year-old Maddison.
However, Leicester’s £60m asking price for Maddison is proving too high for Arsenal and the Foxes have so far shown little inclination to accept the Gunners’ offer of players in exchange, with the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Ainsley Maitland-Niles offered.
Maddison is keen on a move to the Emirates but he’s just a year into a new deal with the Midlands club and he will not angle for an exit.
Football.London claims talks between Arsenal and Leicester have been ‘very slow’ and ‘like a game of chess’.
But with time running out in the transfer window, the Gunners cannot afford to move as slowly and the report claims Lingard has been lined up as an alternative.
The 28-year-old shone during the second half of the season during his loan spell with West Ham but he’s since returned to Old Trafford and is intent on reestablishing himself at the Theatre of Dreams.
However, Jadon Sancho’s arrival has only increased the competition for places and Lingard only has 12 months to run on his contract at the club.
United value Lingard at around £25m, meaning he’s a far more viable target than Maddison.
Arsenal have agreed a £25m fee with Newcastle for Joe Willock but it remains to be seen whether United would sanction Lingard’s departure to a direct rival.
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