Arsenal have been quoted a reported price of £15 million for RB Salzburg midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. It’s an affordable figure, so should the Gunners make the youngster their first summer signing?
According to claims from Football Insider, Unai Emery’s side are currently falling marginally short of the Austrian club’s valuation of the midfielder.
Salzburg are understood to be demanding a fee worth £15 million – a reasonable sum given Szoboszlai’s remarkable progress in the past season – but Arsenal have only offered up to £9 million hitherto.
The £6 million difference appears to be the only thing holding the Gunners back from wrapping up a deal for the 18-year-old, so just what are the club waiting for?
Szoboszlai is one of European football’s brightest young talents, and it is easy to see why. He rose to prominence in the second half of last season, cementing his place in the starting line-up of departing Salzburg boss Marco Rose.
From 29 appearances in the 2018/19 campaign, he was able to find the back of the net on 10 occasions from a deep role. His goalscoring exploits were made all the more impressive by his creative edge in the final third, as evidenced by his 11 assists.
Arsenal are in desperate need of a midfielder who can make marauding runs from the central zones and also dictate play with passes over varied distances. With Aaron Ramsey no longer on the books, players who can burst into the box and trouble the goalkeeper are few and far between, but Szoboszlai boasts this quality.
At 18, forcing the Hungarian to shoulder the responsibility of replacing the Juventus man would be unwise. However, he is a hugely promising player who has all the makings of a top, top midfielder.
Arsenal would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to land Szoboszlai at just £15 million. If they do not, they could be missing out on years and years of excellence from the exciting prospect.
