Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly leading the race to sign Norwich City right-back Max Aarons. German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have also been linked with a move for the young Englishman.
The 22-year-old has two years left on his deal at Carrow Road but with the Canaries bottom of the Premier League and likely to return to the Championship once more, it wouldn't be surprising if he moved on from the club this summer. The right-back - who's valued at around £19.8million as per Transfermarkt - has long been linked with a transfer to the Emirates Stadium, and with Mikel Arteta needing competition for Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu, Aarons may well be the perfect candidate.
Edu and Arteta have shopped for players under the age of 25 as they continue the club's rebuild. Not only does he tick that box, but Aarons is everything that you'd expect from a more well-rounded, modern full-back - and as a bonus, he qualifies a homegrown talent.
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Now, The Sun report that the Gunners and Premier League rivals Man United are leading the race for his signature. The Red Devils similarly need competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, especially considering his patchy form this year and Diogo Dalot's failure to make the spot his own.
Aarons has been brutally honest about the Gunners and Arteta in the past, which doesn't bode well for a potential move. Arsenal endured a miserable start to the Premier League season and their first win was a 1-0 victory over Norwich at the Emirates Stadium. The Englishman, however, said he could tell how 'tense' the crowd and the players were: "It was alright to be fair," he told Vibe with Five in September. "You could tell Arsenal were under pressure, you could feel it from the fans, they were a bit tense.
"The players were a bit tense, you could feel it in the stadium. Going there as Norwich we felt we could get something out of the game and it was frustrating not to, to be honest."
Luckily for Arsenal, the atmosphere has massively improved since then as the Gunners have mounted a top four challenge. Whether it's enough to convince Aarons to choose them over United remains to be seen, though.
