Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Italian report strengthens claims Arsenal will hijack Leeds move as star’s father turns on disrespectful Gunners fan

Lucas Torreira, Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot

Arsenal have reportedly made a bid for Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who has been heavily linked with a move to Leeds United. 

This news will come as a major blow to the Whites, as it is believed that the American would prefer to move to London this winter.

With Mikel Arteta’s side now firmly in the race for McKennie’s signature, it is believed that the player’s agent is currently in London attempting to negotiate a deal.

On Thursday, it was reported that Leeds had seen an initial offer turned down for the 24-year-old, but Jesse Marsch and co were still confident that they could get a deal done.

The Whites are looking to bolster their midfield after Mateusz Klich joined DC United earlier this month and McKennie represents a potentially fantastic addition.

Leeds could do with some quality signings this winter, given they have struggled to pick up points this season and currently sit just one point outside the relegation zone.

With that in mind, McKennie is likely to prefer a move to Arsenal. Amusingly, his father has also weighed in on the speculation.

When a Gunners fan said that his son wasn’t good enough to play for the Premier League leaders, he replied: “What are you smoking?”, as noted by Football Italia.

Now that Arsenal have made an offer for the midfielder, he has the chance to prove his father right.

Arsenal plot stunning McKennie hijack with £30m bid

According to reports coming out of Italy, the North London club have tabled a £30m offer for McKennie – which will come as a major blow to Leeds after they had already agreed personal terms with the player.

Leeds had previously seen a £24.5m (€28m) bid rejected by Juventus, with the Italian giants reportedly demanding a fee closer to £30.8m (€35m).

So, now that Arsenal have almost met the Old Lady’s asking price, it seems the Whites will now have to offer in excess of that amount to secure McKennie’s signature.

If these reports are to be believed, this will come as a major blow to the Yorkshire club, as they had been confident of negotiating a deal with Juventus in the coming days.

Even more frustrating is that Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa are also considering joining the race for McKennie, so there may be a few more twists and turns yet.

It is believed that Juventus may be pressured to sell the American because of their ongoing off-filed issues after they were deducted 15 points for alleged transfer irregularities.

McKennie is a solid defensive midfielder, with experience playing at the highest level in the Champions League for Juve, as well as for the United States at the World Cup.

Indeed, the American could provide some top-quality cover for Arteta in midfield as the Gunners aim to push for their first league title since 2004, but Leeds are still expected to continue talks with Juventus over a potential deal.

It looks like this one could go down to the wire if the Whites return fire with an improved bid, so it will be interesting to see whether Arsenal or Leeds come out on top in the race for McKennie’s signature.

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