Arsenal are showing an interest in RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan, according to Ed Aarons of the Guardian.
The Gunners are keen to bolster their defence in the summer transfer window, football.london understands, with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi on the club's shortlist of potential targets. Bayer Leverkusen centre-half Edmond Tapsoba is another player that the north London outfit have looked at as well.
Now, it is claimed that Leipzig ace Simakan has joined both Guehi and Tapsoba on the list of possible defensive recruits for Mikel Arteta's side. Writing on Twitter, Aarons said: "Understand that Arsenal are showing strong interest in RB Leipzig's Mohamed Simakan.
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"The 23-year-old defender signed a new contract until 2027 in December." Simakan has frequently played both as a centre-back and a right-back, similar to Arsenal's Ben White.
The Frenchman has enjoyed a solid 2022/23 campaign for the Bundesliga outfit whilst also impressing in the UEFA Champions League - scoring once and assisting a further three times in Europe's premier competition.
Bringing in Simakan would certainly make a lot of sense for the Gunners considering their Premier League title took a major dent when first-choice centre-back William Saliba picked up a lower back injury in March.
Arteta's side conceded just 25 times in the 27 league matches Saliba started in before shipping 13 goals in the six matches that Rob Holding replaced him in the Spaniard's starting line-up. That significant drop-off could certainly be one of the main reasons that Arsenal's sporting director Edu will be tasked to bring in a new defender at the end of the current campaign.
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