Arsenal transfer news: Andrea Berta making 'strong push' for £43.7m midfielder as January bid prepared

Arsenal are reportedly prepared to fork out €45m (£39.3m) to sign a highly-rated Ligue 1 talent this winter, in spite of the fact that he has just signed a new contract with his current club.

The Gunners are expected to have a quiet January on the incomings front after spending close to £250m in the summer window, although sporting director Andrea Berta will be alert to any market opportunities, especially in midfield.

Arsenal are thought to be planning to future-proof their engine room with young talent, and Sports Mole was recently told that a January move for Elche's Rodrigo Mendoza cannot be ruled out.

At the same time, the Premier League leaders are understood to be one of several clubs keeping a close eye on the situation of Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi, who recently extended his contract with Les Dogues until 2029.

However, the teenager's extension may simply allow Lille to recoup as high a fee as possible through an inevitable sale, rather than a sign of his long-term commitment to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 champions.

Arsenal 'prepared' to offer £39.3m for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi

While the Gunners are making a 'strong push' for his signature, Chelsea are apparently prepared to pay the same amount to beat their London rivals to Bouaddi's services next month.

Both London clubs could be left disappointed in their efforts to secure a deal, though, as the report adds that Lille wish to wait until the summer before entertaining any bids, and president Olivier Letang is expecting more than €50m (£43.7m).

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are also rumoured to be running the rule over Bouaddi, but the strongest interest currently comes from the red and blue halves of London.

The 18-year-old has already made 72 appearances for Lille in all competitions - providing four assists - and he has broken a couple of records for Les Dogues at a tender age.

Bouaddi made his Lille debut in a Conference League game in October 2023, becoming the youngest Dogues player of all time and the youngest player to make a European competition appearance, although the latter has since been broken by Arsenal's Max Dowman.

What would Ayyoub Bouaddi bring to Arsenal?

A physically imposing 6ft 1in midfielder, Bouaddi could slot in as either a number six or number eight in Mikel Arteta's system, and he already stacks up well against his senior peers.

The teenager is fearless with the ball at his feet and boasts 1.3 successful take-ons per game over the past 365 days, putting him in the top 6% of midfielders in the big five European leagues.

Bouaddi does not make as many long passes as some of his peers, but he has completed a remarkable 90.3% of them, putting him in the top 1% of those in his position.

Eventually, the 2007-born talent could inherit the Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi throne at the Emirates, and the former would arguably be one of the best mentors for Bouaddi to learn from.