Arsenal Opinion: 2 ideal defensive summer signings for Arsenal

According to a recent report by The Sun, Arsenal have set their eyes on a couple of defensive targets for next season with the view of also finding a long-term replacement for French veteran Laurent Koscielny.

A couple of top European talents are being linked to the Gunners with Unai Emery looking to overhaul his squad in order to try and challenge for the title next season.

It has been suggested that Barcelona’s French star Samuel Umtiti is one of the players on Emery’s shortlist but a move for him would mean that the Gunners have to shell out around £44m to try and meet his valuation.

Considering that Arsenal weren’t even able to achieve Champions League football next season, spending that much on a single player could come back to haunt this Arsenal side.

The report is also claiming that Arsenal have had scouts watching the progress of Saint-Etienne’s William Saliba. The youngster has been a revelation since breaking into the first team picture at the Ligue 1 side this season.

Still only 18, the Frenchman is already being valued at £25m. The Gunners staff have been keeping close tabs on the French youth international’s progress across the last couple of seasons.

Arsenal’s defensive issues are certainly no secret and now, according to the report, a multitude of Arsenal defenders are said to be on their way out of the Emirates.

Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Stephan Lichsteiner and Nacho Monreal are all players who could leave the Gunners in the summer and finding able replacements must become a priority

Here are the two defenders currently linked with the Gunners:

Samuel Umtiti

The Frenchman joined Barcelona from Lyon in 2016 but had struggled to make a place for himself in the first-team. Although he was part of the French World Cup squad, his opportunities have been extremely limited at the Nou Camp and this season, he made just 14 La Liga appearances.

A move to the Premier League with Arsenal would mean guaranteed game time as well as a more relaxed team environment.

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William Saliba

This monstrous French giant is still 18 and only signed his first professional contract a few months ago. Since bursting onto the scene though, he’s been almost unstoppable.

Supremely highly-rated, the Frenchman’s commanding displays in the centre of the park have been rewarded with 16 Ligue 1 appearances and he would certainly be a good addition to Unai Emery’s side.