Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano responds to Arsenal transfer links with Ligue 1 star

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has responded to Arsenal being linked with an interest in Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram ahead of the summer.

The Gunners spent big on Declan Rice last summer, but it perhaps makes sense that midfielders remain a priority for the club ahead of next season, with Thomas Partey proving very injury prone and barely playing this season, while Jorginho is not getting any younger so might not be the best long-term option.

Thuram has impressed in Ligue 1 and looks like a player with a big future, so it could be that he’ll be someone to work his way onto Arsenal’s radar alongside some of the other names Romano has discussed before, such as Douglas Luiz and Martin Zubimendi.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest column in the Daily Briefing, Romano explained that he wasn’t aware of anything concrete with Thuram for now, with Nice’s asking price for the Frenchman also still not clear for the summer.

Going from what Romano said, Luiz and Zubimendi perhaps seem like more concrete targets for the moment, with the Thuram stories perhaps a little exaggerated for the time being.

“We’ve heard a lot about Arsenal wanting to sign a new midfielder in the summer, and one of the latest names being linked with them is Khephren Thuram of Nice,” Romano said.

“My understanding is that it’s not something concrete so far, Arsenal have made no decision yet. I can still mention Martin Zubimendi and Douglas Luiz as names on their list, but we’ll have to wait and see who they decide to go for.

“There is currently no news also on Thuram as it will also depend on how much Nice will ask for him – his price tag has not been decided yet.”