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Arsenal find £20m agreement with Bologna for Aaron Hickey - report
Arsenal have agreed a fee of around £20m for teenage defensive sensation Aaron Hickey from Bologna for a summer deal, according to Calcio Napoli 24.
Hickey has been linked with a move away from the Serie A club this summer, with the full-back linked to several Premier League clubs including the Gunners as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his defence.
But now it’s believed that the two club have come to an agreement on terms for a permanent transfer this summer which would see the north London club stump up around £20m to bring him to the Emirates.
Able to play as a full-back on both sides, Hickey is seen as perfect cover for both Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu who have both suffered with injury problems this season.
Cedric Soares has performed relatively well but Nuno Tavares has struggled since arriving from Benfica and that has convinced Arteta to move in the market for a new defender.
Talent
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Arsenal have already got a very young squad competing at the top end of the table, and Hickey adds to an already very stable and competent core of talented young players.
He would be afforded the time to learn the pace of the Premier League, having left Hearts in Scotland back in 2020 and adapting to Italy quickly. He has made 33 first-team appearances in Serie A this season already, mostly from left-back.
But as Arsenal continue to build a squad in the image of manager Arteta, he clearly wants to focus on young players who are set to explode that he can help mould into top level players and Hickey fits that bit.
Having previously been linked with the likes of Napoli, Aston Villa, Newcastle, AC Milan and Juventus, it shows how highly rated he is and it seems to be a coup for Arsenal to snatch him so early on.
Now he can look to develop and continue the excellent conveyor belt of young full-backs that Scotland have developed after Andrew Robertson, Tierney and even Calvin Ramsay who is coming through too.
In other Arsenal news, Arsenal in talks with Sao Paulo over 19-year-old winger Marquinhos – report