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Arsenal officials were present at the UEFA Champions League encounter between Frankfurt and Napoli on Tuesday night to scout potential summer targets.
The Lowdown: Napoli win
Napoli ran out comfortable 2-0 winners away at Frankfurt in the end, with goals from Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had missed a penalty at 0-0.
The result puts the Serie A side firmly in control of the tie going into the second leg, where they could go through and play a Premier League team in the quarter-finals, if Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur manage to get through their respective ties.
The Latest: Arsenal officials present
Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey says that officials representing the Gunners were present at Frankfurt to watch the match, scouting potential big-name recruits ahead of the summer window.
However, over 30 other clubs had the same idea, including Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves from the Premier League.
The Verdict: Who could they be watching?
Mikel Arteta‘s side have been linked with a number of big names from both Frankfurt and Napoli, including central defender Evan Ndicka, midfielder Jesper Lindstrom and striker Osimhen.
Having already signed centre-back Jakub Kiwior in the January transfer window, a deal for Ndicka looks unlikely, while Osimhen could cost upwards of £100m.
Thus, the most likely signing would be Lindstrom, and the North Londoners are in need of a midfielder, given Mohamed Elneny’s long-term injury and the fact that Thomas Partey has been injury-prone in the past.
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