Don't Miss

Heading for Arsenal? Boss confirms attacker is in talks over move

By mac14 on January 24, 2017

According to the Mirror, AC Milan manager Vincenzo Montella has confirmed that M’Baye Niang is set to leave the club this month amid reports linking Arsenal with a move for the attacker.

Niang was strongly linked with a switch to north London before he signed for Milan in 2012 but Arsene Wenger has seemingly been keeping a close eye on his progress over the past five years.

The Mirror reported last week that Arsenal were lining-up a big-money move for the 22-year-old after the boss had supposedly identified the forward as a prime transfer target amid on-going doubts over the future of Alexis Sanchez.

The paper suggested that Wenger wanted Niang to be Sanchez’s replacement should we be forced to sell the Chilean international this summer because he refused to sign a new contract.

Speculation linking Niang to Arsenal has now intensified after Milan boss Vincenzo Montella confirmed today that the player is in talks with the clubs hierarchy about a move away from the San Siro.

Montella didn’t disclose any potential destination for the forward but he did confirm Niang has been left out of their squad for their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Juventus as he feels the player is too distracted resolving his future.

The former striker is quoted as saying by the Mirror:

“Niang might leave the club. He’s discussing it with the management. He won’t be called up for the game against Juve as I thought he would definitely have been distracted.”

So it looks as though Niang is likely to leave Milan before the end of the month but despite the reports linking him with Arsenal, I’d be hugely surprised if he was to end up at the Emirates.

Sanchez’s future might be in doubt while his new deal remains unsigned but we haven’t given up hope of tying him down to a fresh deal just yet and we have no immediate need to bring in another forward.

Wenger to decide on midfielder move, deal announced in 24 hours

Welbeck is fit again and Walcott is on the verge of his comeback from injury while we’ve also got Giroud and Lucas to support Alexis so we have plenty of options in the final third.

Wenger might be a fan of Niang’s but I highly doubt he’ll make any official move for the player this month so I think we’ll see him join a club like Torino or Genoa – who’ve also been strongly linked.