Arsenal are reportedly keen on securing the transfer of Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, who is currently rated £36million, on a two-year loan deal. The young star has been rumored to join Premier League clubs, having been linked in several clubs including Chelsea and Arsenal.
However, it seems the deal will be between Arsenal and Roma, and that the Gunners will most likely move for him on an initial loan with the option to buy. Given the AFC have a limited transfer budget, this could be a very smart move. £27m of that budget is intended to signing William Saliba before loaning him back to Saint-Etienne for this season.
Rugani joining Arsenal would make a significant difference in Unai Emery's defense, with upgrades definitely needed on the likes of Shkodran Mustafi. Meanwhile, Laurent Koscielny's future seems vague at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have been quite busy with transfers lately. Daniel Ceballos has been signed on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, which was confirmed last week. The club seems to get more confident of obtaining Kieran Tierney from Celtic as well.
Next week, they are expecting Nicolas Pepe from Lille in a whopping £72million deal, but William Saliba represents the only defensive signing the club has made so far this summer and he has been immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne.
Emery will put his entire focus on Rugani, whose first-team opportunities are likely to be restricted by the arrival of Matthijs de Ligt. Rugani made 20 appearances in all competitions for Juventus last season and is valued at around €40m. Juventus' signing of de Ligt has most probably pushed him further down the pecking order in Turin, and so the Gunners could well get Rugani for a price that is rather reasonable and within their budget.
Arsenal's defensive weakness have been clearly exposed, having conceded 51 goals last season in the Premier League. Emery's side looked fragile at times, and things like Rob Holding's long-term injury and now the situation over club captain Koscielny certainly hasn't helped matters.
Saliba joining the club looks promising, but it's apparent that the Gunners badly need a center-back for the future matches. Although Rugani hasn't quite broken into the Juventus' first team, we shouldn't take this against him. Instead, we must give credit to the Bianconeri's impressive strength in depth in the position in the likes of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini, among others.
