Romano: Arsenal boss Arteta targets Man City star to solve ‘serious’ issue – but there’s one ‘problem’

Joe Williams
Arsenal transfer target Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has emerged as a target for Arsenal after Jurrien Timber picked up a serious injury, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners released a statement on Monday confirming that Timber has suffered a knee injury and that the Netherlands international will visit a specialist to determine the extent of the damage.

It comes after reports claimed he could miss a number of months for Arsenal after sustaining the injury during their 2-1 wiin against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Arsenal statement read: “Further to his substitution during our match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Jurrien Timber has received extensive assessments and scans which have confirmed he has sustained an injury to his right knee.

“Jurrien will undergo a further detailed assessment and review with a consultant in the coming days to assess the full extent of the injury, in order to determine the next steps. A further update will be provided in due course.

“Everyone at the club will be focused on supporting Jurrien at this time.”

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And now transfer expert Romano has linked Man City defender Laporte, who has played 180 matches for the Citizens, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could struggle to convince City to sell another player to their Premier League rivals.

Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “The knee injury for Jurrien Timber is a serious problem for Arsenal, so we’ll have to see who could be on their list now. We wish the best to Timber, let’s hope it won’t be a long injury, but it looks like a significant one, so Arsenal will explore the market.

“Earlier in the summer, Arsenal looked at bringing in a ‘traditional’ centre-back, more than a versatile player like Timber, who can play everywhere in defence.

“One player they appreciate is Aymeric Laporte – the rumours are true in the sense that he is liked by Arsenal, but the problem is Manchester City don’t want to sell another player to Arsenal, they prefer another destination for him, so let’s see if Arsenal return for Laporte or if they try to replace Timber with a full-back instead. Internal discussions will take place on that, with Mikel Arteta involved.

“For now, my understanding is that there is no change on Kieran Tierney despite this news – the Scottish left-back remains available on the market but Arsenal insist on a permanent transfer rather than a loan deal.”

On Man City’s targets before the transfer window shuts, Romano added: “Jeremy Doku is an important target for Manchester City. They are speaking to the player’s camp about personal terms and his salary. The player wants to join, and so then City have to speak to Rennes, but as previously reported, Doku is on City’s list.

“Manchester City will also bid again for Lucas Paqueta – 100%. Now West Ham are working on a deal for Mohammed Kudus deal in case Paqueta could go to Man City, talks are ongoing.

“Kudus has been attracting interest all summer, particularly from Brighton. However, Brighton rejected the inclusion of a release clause in the deal and also there were some other issues – the player was not happy with the proposal and Brighton decided to move on. They don’t like these kind of situations.”