Arsenal are closing in on a third summer signing amid closing on Porto’s Fabio Vieira.
Arsenal is allegedly close to signing Bologna fullback Aaron Hickey.
The Scotland international could become the Gunners’ third signing of the summer, following Marquinhos from Brazil and Fabio Vieira from the Emirates.
The arrival of Marquinhos at Arsenal was confirmed by the club earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Vieira is generally rumoured to have agreed to relocate from Porto to north London for a cost of £30 million.
Arsenal is looking for a striker, and Gabriel Jesus is their main target.
However, manager Mikel Arteta continues to bolster other parts of the pitch, and Hickey could be the next to go.
According to the Scotsman, the Gunners are the most likely destination for the 20-year-old. To entice Bologna to sell Hickey, Arsenal must offer at least £18 million.
However, according to the source, a deal is imminent, with Arsenal closing in on the signing.
Bologna is already planning for life after Hickey and is thought to be interested in Josh Doig, who is currently at Hibernian.
Hickey will be allowed to leave Bologna, according to sports director Marco Di Vaio, but only at the correct price.
He said: “(Hickey) is one of those we could sacrifice, but if we don’t receive adequate offers, he’ll likely stay for another year. We have a good potential to do well and earn more than 50 points.
“We must be good at financing new signings and finding new players. If we make the right moves, we’ll be able to replace them and keep all the others.”
Hickey has played left-back for the duration of his career. He would most likely serve as a backup to his international teammate Kieran Tierney, who is still out with an injury.
He can also play on the right side of defence, where Arsenal already has Takehiro Tomiyasu and Cedric Soares. Hickey’s acquisition might push Arsenal’s summer expenditure above £50 million.
Marquinhos, 19, has agreed to a long-term contract with Sao Paulo for a cost of just under £3 million. Meanwhile, Arsenal reached an agreement with Porto for Vieira on Thursday.
The Gunners will pay an initial fee of £30 million plus £4.1 million in add-ons for the 22-year-old offensive midfielder.
Meanwhile, City want £50 million for Jesus, which would bring Arsenal’s outlay to far over £100 million.
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Arsenal are closing in on a third summer signing amid closing on Porto’s Fabio Vieira.
