Arsenal have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Marcus Thuram to The Emirates next summer.
What's the talk?
That's according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian transfer insider revealing in a recent article for CaughtOffisde that, following a number of reports linking Mikel Arteta's side with a move for the Borussia Mönchengladbach centre-forward, he has been informed the 25-year-old will leave Borussia-Park on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign.
This is sure to come as a huge boost to the Gunners, as, with the striker's current deal with the Bundesliga side set to expire next summer, Edu will be able to discuss pre-contract terms with the attacker upon the turn of the year.
Regarding the future of the France international, Romano said: "I think there will be many rumours around Thuram as he's a good player available as a potential free agent in the summer. I'm told he could really leave on a free transfer, so he'll consider all options in the next months."
Vlahović alternative
Considering just how impressive Thuram has been in Germany this season, the argument that the signing of the centre-forward on a free transfer next summer would be an unbelievable coup for Arsenal is an extremely easy one to make.
Indeed, over his 15 Bundesliga appearances in the current campaign, the £26.2m-rated talent has been in sensational form, scoring 10 goals, registering three assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 3.7 shots - 2.0 of which have hit the target - making 0.9 key passes and completing 1.5 dribbles per game.
These returns have seen the £54k-per-week forward who Alain Valnegri dubbed "dangerous" average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.19, not only ranking him as Daniel Farke's fourth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 23rd-best player in the top flight of German football as a whole.
Furthermore, according to FBref, the 25-year-old ranks in the top 13% of forwards in Europe's big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 5% for non-penalty xG, the top 10% for shots, the top 22% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for dribbles completed and the top 9% for touches in the opposition penalty area over the past 365 days.
As such, it is not difficult to see why the statistical database compare Thuram to some of Europe's most deadly centre-forwards, with the likes of Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, Juventus' Dušan Vlahović and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez listed as the Frenchman's most similar players.
And, with Arsenal having been linked with a move for Vlahović - who has scored six goals over ten Serie A appearances this term - in the January transfer window, considering Thuram's better returns in the final third, the Mönchengladbach hitman could well represent something of a dream alternative to the Serbian sensation - especially on a free transfer.