Arsenal keen on 50m Euro 2024 star who's looked better than Saliba

The transfer window officially opened last week, and at the same time, the European Championships finally got underway.

Teams across the continent will be watching the competition and the market extra carefully over the coming weeks, and based on recent reports, Arsenal have set their sights on a defender who has already caught the media’s attention for his showing in the tournament.

In fact, this young ace, a defender, put in a more impressive performance than the Gunners’ star defender William Saliba did for France on Monday, and he could be the perfect addition to the North Londoners’ backline.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi and are ‘ready to test the resolve’ of the Eagles for his signature.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Newcastle United are keen to land the England international this summer and that the South Londoners currently value the 23-year-old at around £50m.

Any deal will take some time to construct due to the centre-back’s England commitments over the next month or so, but in good news, the report claims he is ‘open to leaving Selhurst Park this summer.’

Given the interest from other sides, it might be a tricky transfer to complete, but Guehi has proven his class in the Premier League and looked brilliant for the Three Lions last week, so it may be a deal worth pursuing.

Guehi’s performance compared to Saliba’s

Now, we aren’t trying to say that Guehi is a better player than Saliba, so put down those pitchforks, but after the first round of group games at the Euros, it would be fair to say that the Englishman had a slightly better tournament debut, even if the Frenchman still looked alright.

For instance, Get French Football News gave the Arsenal man a 6/10 on the night, acknowledging that while he ‘got most things right’, there were a few choice decisions, including an over the shoulder volley that ‘went straight to an Austria player’ and a mistimed tackle late on.

In contrast, Sky Sports gave the Palace ace an 8/10 for his display on Sunday. They described his performance as ‘phenomenal’, and that he exuded ‘calmness in possession’ and that ‘if he carries on like this, it’s a game-changing summer ahead.’

He’s not just been impressive for England, though, as the former Chelsea man has more than proven his worth in the Premier League over the last few seasons. He has racked up 98 appearances in the competition for Palace, in which he has scored three goals and provided two assists.

Moreover, the “versatile” ace, as data analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him for his ability to play as either a right or left-sided centre-back, already has proven leadership qualities, having captained England at U17 and U21 level and captaining Palace at just 21 years old in February 2022.

Ultimately, while Guehi isn’t necessarily a better defender than Saliba – few players are – he’s undoubtedly a brilliant centre-back, and if the Gunners have a chance of bringing him to the Emirates after the Euros, they should take it.

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