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Arsenal in fierce battle to sign Marseille’s Daryyl Bakola

By on December 26, 2025

Arsenal are reportedly in a fierce battle to sign Olympique de Marseille midfielder Darryl Bakola, as per Caught Offside.

The 18-year-old started his youth career at Asnières FC before spending time with Racing Club de France and Red Star FC. He joined Les Phocéens back in 2022 before making his first team debut earlier this year.

The youngster has established himself as a key player in Roberto De Zerbi’s first team squad this season, though he has mainly played as a rotational option, making eight appearances across all competitions.

He has only started once this term, which came in the 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Champions League, providing the assist for the opening goal.

Now, Caught Offside claim that after monitoring his development closely over the last few months, Arsenal are keen on purchasing him as they believe he would be a perfect fit for their system.

However, the Gunners will have to overcome fierce competition to sign Bakola, as Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle United are in this race as well. The Blues have already started accelerating their efforts to buy the youngster.

Moreover, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in him. So, Bakola isn’t short of potential suitors at the moment.

Bakola to Arsenal

However, Marseille don’t want to let their key asset leave just yet. They are planning to hand him a fresh term until 2030 to secure his long-term future, with his current contract set to run until 2027.

However, Arsenal might be able to sign Bakola in January or next summer if Marseille eventually fail to agree on a new deal with the 18-year-old over the coming weeks.

The Marseille star is a versatile midfielder as he is comfortable playing in the No.10 or the box-to-box role. He is technically sound, can play threading passes between the lines, and is composed with possession.

He is a highly talented player and possesses the potential to reach the top, so he would be a great coup for Arsenal should they purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually manage to lure him to the Emirates Stadium.