Arsenal Express Interest In €20m Rated AC Milan Playmaker | A Reunion With Mikel Arteta On The Cards?

According to reports in Italy, Arsenal have expressed interest in AC Milan attacker Brahim Diaz ahead of the 2023-24 season. Manager Mikel Arteta wants to increase his squad depth to challenge for trophies on a consistent basis and on multiple fronts.

The North London side currently sit atop the Premier League table, leading Manchester City by 8 points, who have one game in hand. With the league set to resume after the international break, the fans are set for an exciting finish to the season. The board, however, are using this time to scout different options for next season.

The Gunners are busy planning for the summer transfer window with less than three months to go now. Various reports on the club have indicated that their primary focus will be on attackers and wingers. One such target doing the rounds currently is AC Milan’s Spanish attacker.

Brahim Diaz

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Caught Offside), Arsenal are interested in signing Brahim Diaz in the upcoming transfer window. His loan spell with AC Milan will come to an end this summer and it is very unlikely that he will return to Real Madrid. Thus, the Londoners could exploit the fact that he will be available for transfer.

Brahim Diaz first arrived at the San Siro in the summer of 2020 on loan from Real Madrid. His stay at Milan was then extended in 2021 for two more seasons. In three years, he has appeared in 110 matches and has accumulated 16 goals and 10 assists (stats via Transfermarkt).

The Spanish attacking midfielder was part of the Rossoneri squad that won the Serie A in 2021-22, with the club winning the Serie A after 11 years. This season, he has played in 23 league matches, starting in 19 of them and has four goals and two assists to his name.

The 23-year-old has also gone on to play for the Spain national team, scoring one goal in his solitary appearance. He is among the few players who have won the league title in each of the three major European leagues — Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

Besides his goal involvements and trophies, the Spaniard also has some admirers from amongst his former academy teammates. Edward Francis, once his Manchester City academy teammate, even compared him to Lionel Messi. Back in 2017, he told Goal (via Caught Offiside):

“He is strong with his left and right foot, he is definitely a big player for us.

“In the Premier League, we can compare him with Eden Hazard, but he is a bit like Messi in the way he dribbles. It’s good to have a player like him in the team.”

Brahim Diaz has worked under current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta when they were both at Manchester City. Thus, Arteta knows him and it makes sense if the North London club actually go for him.

The Spanish manager has improved a number of players during his time with the North London side and it would be interesting to see if the young Spanish attacking midfielder arrives at the Emirates Stadium.