New Fraser, Arteta link pushes Bournemouth star closer to Arsenal
Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser has joined the same management team as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in a hint about his future, according to reports.
Fraser is out of contract in the coming months and, given that clubs are looking to scale back their spending in the upcoming transfer window, his free transfer is likely to be of interest to many teams.
In April sources told TEAMtalk that Arsenal were in pole position for the Scotland international and they were confident of securing his signature when his deal expires.
Tottenham have also been linked, with it previously being thought that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho had abandoned plans to move for the 26-year-old.
According to the Sunday Mirror, however, Fraser has ditched his long-term representative Jon McLeish to be managed by Paul Martin, who also guides Arteta.
As such, talk that Fraser could move to Arsenal has been fuelled, especially given that earlier reports suggested Bournemouth are resigned to losing him at the end of the season.
The winger’s form has dropped off this term but in the last campaign, he finished second, with 14, behind Eden Hazard in the Premier League’s assist charts.
While Fraser’s contract expires on June 30, he is likely to be handed a short-term extension to see him through until the end of the protracted Premier League season.
Clubs on Thursday agreed a resumption date of June 17 after several positive steps in the bid to get the top flight back, including the re-introduction of contact training.
In other news, Arteta has reportedly put Philippe Coutinho at the top of his transfer wish list in the bid to land a marquee signing to take his team to the next level.
Coutinho, who will not be staying with Bayern Munich when his loan there expires, is also unlikely to remain at Barcelona.