Arsenal 'send scouts' to watch Serie A star ahead of mooted £41m transfer bid
Arsenal are looking at the Serie A goalkeeper to play as understudy to David Raya.
Arsenal have been linked with Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, and have reportedly sent scouts to watch the 24-year-old in action.
Carnesecchi has made 17 appearances this season for the Serie A side, conceding 20 goals and keeping five clean sheets. His Atalanta side sit top of the Serie A, level on points with second-place Napoli, and one point ahead of third-placed Inter Milan.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato via Sport Witness, an unnamed English side has made an initial move for the goalkeeper in the summer, with Arsenal viewing Carnesecchi as a transfer target.
The 24-year-old’s valuation is expected to be around £33m-£42m, with Atalanta open to selling him during the summer window. However, any January move isn’t expected to happen unless a club offers a significantly higher amount.
Carnesecchi came through the youth teams at Atalanta, before he went on several loan moves to Italian sides Trapani and Cremonese. He has made a total of 56 appearances for Atalanta’s first team, conceding 60 goals, and keeping 19 clean sheets.
Arsenal are keen to bring in another goalkeeper to help with depth behind David Raya, who they signed from Brentford in summer. As things stand, the Gunners have loanee Neto as their backup. The 35-year-old will move back to Bournemouth at the end of the season.
Arsenal face competition from Champions League rivals in Carnesecchi race
The Gunners aren’t the only high-profile team that are thought to be keeping tabs on the 24-year-old, as French side Paris Saint-Germain are also reportedly interested.
PSG have a similar goalkeeping situation to Arsenal, as they have a locked-in starter in the form of Gianluigi Donnarumma, with little in the way of depth beyond the towering Italy international.
Their backup is Matvey Safonov, who has only made eight appearances for the club. Luis Enrique is reportedly keen on bringing Carnesecchi to the Parc de Princes to serve as Donnarumma’s understudy.
Seeing as there is also an unnamed Premier League team reportedly keen to sign him, Carnesecchi could find himself to be in-demand during the summer window.
Carnesecchi compared to Arsenal stopper David Raya
The Italian keeper has had a good start to the season, accumulating five clean sheets in 17 games. However, Raya has conceded less goals and has more clean sheets than the Atalanta man.
Arsenal’s keeper has made 19 Premier League appearances, conceding just 17 goals, and keeping seven clean sheets. Raya will be hoping to add to his golden glove award from last season, by racking up the most clean sheets in the Premier League this year too. He played against his former side Brentford in a 3-1 win last weekend.
So far, he has the joint second-most clean sheets in the league, tied with Everton keeper Jordan Pickford. Both are just one clean sheet behind the leader, Nottingham Forest stopper Matz Sels, who is on eight.