FC Basel forward Mohamed Elyounoussi admitted “it’s cool” clubs are showing him interest, amid rumours that Arsenal are leading the race for his signature, reports The S*n.
The 23-year-old joined Basel from Molde FK in 2016 and has scored 17 goals in 74 appearances in all competitions. Elyounoussi has netted five in 23 Swiss Super League games this season and could be on the move for the right this summer.
The Norwegian international revealed he’s been followed by a Premier League side who could make their interest official in the coming months, saying: “A club which is usually in the Premier League top four has followed me for a long time.
“I just learned that they have stepped up their interest even more after what happened in the Champions League. Is it Arsenal? I can’t comment, but it is a club that everybody knows with a long history.
“A big club that has watched me a couple of times before, but they have now increased their interest in me. It is cool that such a big club is showing great interest. But of course I know a club like this has many players on its radar.”
The problem for Elyounoussi is that Arsenal have more than enough attackers in the squad and surely won’t add another unless they offload one or two. The Gunners need to strengthen in goal, defence and midfield this summer, which makes it unlikely they will bolster their attack any further.
With Mesut Ozil, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Alex Iwobi, Alexandre Lacazette, Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the squad, Arsenal are overstocked in attack so Elyounoussi really is wasting his time trying to bait an offer.
The striker has even played the role of his own agent, naming exactly how much clubs would need to pay to land his signature.
“Basel won’t pick up the phone if they are offered less than £13m for me. They say they will only start discussions if the offers are higher than that. There is a difference between the Bundesliga and the Premier League. If an English club comes in for me, Basel can suddenly claim £18m,” he added.
Arsenal have enough options in attack to be content enough for now. Their sell-to-buy policy also means one player won’t come in without an existing one leaving.
Elyounoussi looks unlikely to arrive at the Emirates Stadium as a result.
