Arsenal officials have “monitored” Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba in recent weeks ahead of a potential move, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Edmond Tapsoba?

The Burkina Faso international made the move to Germany from Vitoria Guimaraes back in 2020 and has since gone on to make 136 appearances to date, becoming a regular feature of Xabi Alonso’s first-team recording 31 starts from 33 Bundesliga games this season.

The 6 foot 4 centre-back still has another three years remaining on his contract at the BayArena, but that hasn’t stopped Edu and Mikel Arteta from wanting to bring him to the Premier League, and not for the first time.

Back in February, Rudy Galetti, reliable journalist, reported that the Gunners have followed the 24-year-old for a “long time”, and the upcoming window might finally be the opportunity that they successfully secure their target’s services.

Who is signing Tapsoba?

Taking to Twitter, Romano confirmed that Arsenal are still keeping tabs on Tapsoba ahead of the 2023/24 term. He wrote:

“Premier League clubs are now tracking Edmond Tapsoba ahead of the summer transfer window — he’s one of the CBs to keep an eye on. Arsenal and Tottenham scouts have monitored Tapsoba in recent games but the race is absolutely open — Bayer will only sell for [a] huge bid.”

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Arsenal are clearly serious about signing Tapsoba having attempted to recruit him more than once, and after being dubbed as “solid as a rock” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the centre-back would be a fantastic acquisition for the outfit at the Emirates Stadium.

The Champions League participant, who pockets £37k-per-week, currently averages three clearances, 1.6 tackles and the same number of aerial wins per league game, via WhoScored, so is commanding at the heart of the backline, but is also capable of contributing to his team’s efforts at the opposite end of the pitch.

The Bayer colossus has posted four goal contributions across all competitions this season and ranks in the 96th percentile for progressive passes so is strong in playing out from the back and is constantly looking to push his side as high up the field as possible.

Whilst Tapsoba’s specific price tag remains to be seen, Arsenal will know that the only way of getting a deal over the line is by tabling a sizable offer, so the hierarchy may look to test the waters to see if an agreement can be reached this summer.