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Arsenal have reportedly expressed their desire to sign Scottish wonderkid Aaron Hickey from Serie A outfit Bologna this summer…
THE LOWDOWN: VILLA LINKS
Recently described as “incredible” by Aston Villa coach Austin MacPhee during the pair’s time at Hearts, Hickey was linked with a move to the Midlands in the January window.
Reports even suggested that Villa made a late winter window offer for Hickey which was rejected, with the Scot remaining in Serie A beyond the deadline.
Villa’s failed bid was thought to be worth £8.3m with a 20% sell-on clause, and now it looks as if Arsenal are in the frame to secure his signature this summer.
THE LATEST: ENQUIRY LAUNCHED
According to Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli (via Calciomercato), the Gunners are in the market for Aaron Hickey.
The Premier League giants have been left impressed by the youngster’s performances for Bologna and have launched an enquiry, exploring the possibility of snapping him up at the end of the season.
The club are expected to begin negotiations, but it could be a fairly tricky operation.
Bologna have already reportedly slapped a €20m (£16.8m) price tag on Hickey, who is targeted by various other Premier League clubs including the cash-rich Newcastle United.
THE VERDICT: ELATED
Considering the sheer amount of potential Hickey is quite clearly in possession of, Gunners supporters will be elated by the interest their club is showing in the youngster.
At the tender age of just 19, the defender would be something of a signing for the future, but the Scotland international has nevertheless proven he is more than capable of doing a job at senior level already in his short career.
Indeed, in Serie A this season, Hickey has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.87 across 32 appearances, registering five goals and a further assist from left-back this season, an impressive feat for a defender.
Also, the £13.50m-rated full-back has performed admirably in his defending for the Italian outfit averaging 0.8 interceptions, 1.4 tackles per game, and is only dribbled past 0.3 times per game. He’s also successfully completed 62% of his dribbles, won 59% of his total duels and 62% of his ground duels.
These metrics read considerably more than Arsenal’s current option in Nuno Tavares who has struggled to impress Mikel Arteta so far this campaign.
The former Hearts man has been performing to an impressive standard in the Italian top flight, suggesting that he has the potential to develop into a superb player in the future if he can continue to progress and hone his skills.
The north London outfit could certainly do with bolstering their options at left full-back this summer, especially with Kieran Tierney’s injury record, and his Scottish counterpart certainly fits the bill.
AND in other news, can academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe become a world class player?
