Arsenal are keen to add a midfielder to their ranks and are eyeing a summer swoop for Leicester City’s Dennis Praet.
This is not the first time Arsenal have been linked with Praet. Previously, he was targeted by Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery but he opted to move elsewhere.
According to The Athletic, Dennis Praet is frustrated with the lack of game-time at Leicester and will be “looking at his options” following the Euro 2020. Football.London have named Praet as the “perfect candidate” for the Gunners’ midfield.
The 27-year old featured only 15 times in the Premier League this past season, scoring and assisting one time each. Brendon Rodgers has Youri Tielemans, Nampalys Mendy, Wilfred Ndidi and Hamza Choudhary at his disposal.
The FA Cup holders are expected to sign another new midfielder, Boubakary Soumare, from Lille. This will further add competition to the side and might restrict Praet’s playing time.
Leicester City's transfer window gets better and better. They're a perfect contrast to all the noise and faffing going on elsewhere. Bertrand in, Daka in, Soumare to follow. This is exactly how you build on a good season.
— Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) July 1, 2021
Should Arsenal chase Dennis Praet’s signature for the third time?
After failing to break into Rodgers’ XI, Dennis Praet might be regretting not moving to Arsenal when he opted to join the Foxes. Soumare enjoyed a superb season with Lille and he could straightaway make the Leicester starting lineup. If Praet wants to see more action on the pitch, it will be better for him to move to a new club.
Mikel Arteta will be desperate to sign a new midfielder as the departure of Granit Xhaka looks imminent. Dani Ceballos and Martin Ødegaard have also returned to Real Madrid. This will leave the manager really short of options at the centre of the park.
Dennis Praet is a fine midfielder, however, he still has to display his creative vision in the English top-flight. He offers a high work rate but Arteta will want him to make passes that can unlock defences.
His main role will be to move the ball forward from deeper positions. The midfielder is also capable of drifting into a wider role but with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe in the side, he might have to settle with a spot in the midfield.
The same report from The Athletic (via The Express) reveals that Leicester City will demand a fee close to the £18 million they paid in 2019.
Considering this is not a huge fee, Arsenal can look to make another attempt to bring Praet to the Emirates. At the age of 27, the Belgian international still has his prime years ahead of him and might prove to be a robust option for Arteta.