Arsenal look to secure free transfer move for Bundesliga midfielder

SportBild (via Sport Witness) report that Arsenal are trying to lure Florian Grillitsch to the Emirates Stadium this summer, as the 26-year-old’s contract with Hoffenheim runs down.

The Austria international is set to be a free agent in the upcoming window, and he’s drawing interest from Sevilla, Arsenal, and Napoli.

Ideally, Grillitsch wants to play in the Champions League, so we’ll need to wait until the end of the season to know whether the Gunners have a realistic chance of landing him.

Grillitsch can play as a defensive midfielder or at centre-back, and he’s done both jobs this season, so it’s not entirely clear in what capacity Arsenal would be looking to bring him in.

It’s very possible Mikel Arteta is looking for someone who can reinforce the squad in both positions, as Arsenal are lacking defensive midfielders and look likely to have four senior centre-backs at most once they complete their summer sales.

On a free transfer, signing Grillitsch could be a good way to fill a spot in the squad.

The main downside of Grillitsch’s signing is that he’s only made 18 appearances this season after multiple injury or illness absences.

Two of them were for Covid-19 positives, so you wouldn’t expect that to be a recurring issue. But he’s also had a couple of muscle injuries.

Arsenal do seem to have some historic interest in Grillitsch, having been linked with him in 2018, 2020, and earlier this year. But that also hints at the possibility that his agents use the Gunners’ name to generate speculation. We’ll see.