Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin has revealed that 20-year-old striker Elye Wahi “likes Arsenal a lot”.
Wahi scored an impressive 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 appearances for Montpellier in 2022/23.
There is a lot of interest in the young Frenchman. A recent report from Foot Mercato claimed for Wahi.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta already has Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus, and Folarin Balogun at the club, so it would be a surprise to see a new striker join in the summer transfer window, unless it is a game changer, not someone who is still very raw.
It has been made clear that Wahi would love to join the Premier League club with Montpellier president Nicollin hinting that the Emirates is the player’s preferred destination.
Nicollin told 100% Paillade that the 20-year-old’s agent “is in discussion with four or five big clubs” without revealing the identity of the suitors before saying, “We know that he likes Arsenal a lot”.
Wahi would not be the first striker to swap Montpellier for after Olivier Giroud moved to the Emirates from the French side for £12million in 2012.
Should the Gunners complete the signing, Wahi would join his fellow Frenchman William Saliba in north London.
Saliba’s contract is set to expire in 2024 and the Gunners have been in talks to extend his deal.
According to David Ornstein, the club and player have finally reached an agreement amid ‘strong interest in the France international from other sides in the Premier League and from abroad’.
Saliba will pen a four-year contract, meaning he will be at Arsenal until at least 2027, The Athletic report says.
The French international is the fourth key Arsenal player to sign a new contract in recent months after Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Aaron Ramsdale committed their long-term futures to the club.
Without the 22-year-old, the Gunners’ title challenge fell by the wayside. They only managed five wins from 11 fixtures and ended up finishing five points behind Manchester City despite being four points clear of the Citizens when Saliba got injured.
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