Arsenal have prepared an offer as they look to sign Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Larsson before Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, according to a report.
CaughtOffside claim Arsenal are showing ‘strong interest’ in the thriving central midfielder and are ‘considering testing the waters’ with a January bid. That proposal will be worth €40million (£33.3m / $43m).
Arsenal are trying to position themselves at the front of the queue as they know a host of other sides are also tracking the exciting 20-year-old.
CaughtOffside state that Tottenham and Liverpool are ‘very interested’ too, while other major clubs such as Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have been ‘monitoring’ Larsson.
The Sweden ace, who is described as a ‘classy and creative midfield talent’ by the report, will ‘have his pick’ of which big club he wants to join next as he is emerging as one of the best young players in Germany.
However, Arsenal may need to hold several rounds of talks before they can forge an agreement with Frankfurt over this particular deal.
While Mikel Arteta’s side are hopeful they will only have to pay around £33m for Larsson, Frankfurt are aiming to receive €70-80m (up to £66.7m / $86m) before selling him.
Arteta eyes further midfield reinforcements
Arsenal bolstered their midfield ranks in the summer with the capture of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.
However, Arteta’s midfield has struggled for creativity while usual playmaker – and captain – Martin Odegaard has been out injured.
Signing Larsson would give Arteta an extra option to use, should Odegaard pick up any future injuries.
As Larsson is versatile, with the ability to operate as a No 8 or No 6, he could also help Arsenal move on from other midfielders such as Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
Arsenal’s ‘concrete interest’ in the Bundesliga starlet was first revealed in September, and they are now poised to accelerate their pursuit of him.
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Meanwhile, Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has received big praise amid links with Arsenal and Manchester United.
The 26-year-old was at it again on Tuesday night, registering a hat-trick as Sporting stunned Man City with a 4-1 victory.
To the delight of Arsenal and Man Utd, Gyokeres has been told he can be ‘better’ than City goal machine Erling Haaland.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is another player Arsenal are thought to be keeping tabs on.
Liverpool have also registered their interest in the forward after identifying him as a potential replacement for Mo Salah.
However, Arsenal and Liverpool have been warned Mbeumo will cost upwards of £60m (€72m / $77.4m) to sign in January.
IN FOCUS: Hugo Larsson profile
The fact that Larsson is already enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career – by November – tells you everything you need to know about the way he is developing.
Signed by Eintracht Frankfurt from Malmo in 2023, by which point he had already made his international debut for Sweden, Larsson was a teenager at the time of his move, having caught the eye with his performances in midfield.
Right-footed, Larsson is an energetic, box-to-box midfielder. Standing out for his spatial awareness, he is constantly looking to get on the ball and drive his team forward, even though he has also been used to playing from a deeper role. Strong and technical, he doesn’t have too many weaknesses – but time is on his side to add further elements to his game, which he already seems to be doing.
During his debut Bundesliga season, he played 29 times, scored twice and made one assist. This season, he has already scored twice within just nine league games – and a recent winner in the Europa League means he has bettered his all-competitions tally already.
He possesses a good first touch, even in tight areas, and his dynamic approach has helped him surpass 50 appearances for Frankfurt already, with more than 70% of those outings being starts.
Larsson is already the Swedish Allsvenskan’s record export and, although he might not break any records when leaving the Bundesliga, he is destined to command a high transfer fee once again as his profile increases.