Reports: Arsenal plot Deadline Day move for World Cup star

France v Croatia - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final

What's the rumour?

The Gunners are looking to make a move for Domagoj Vida in the last hours of the transfer window. They are looking to bolster their back four with the addition of the Croatian in their ranks.

Arsenal will have to tempt Besiktas with a good offer in order to persuade them to sell their star defender before the Premier League transfer window deadline.

In case you didn't know...

Vida, after having a superb World Cup campaign with Croatia, has been a target of top clubs in Europe who are in dire need of a good defender. Arsenal have clearly emerged as favourites along with Premier League rivals Liverpool for the signature of the Besiktas player.

The heart of the matter

Vida was the leader of the Croatian defense at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His no-nonsense style of defending was admired by football fans and helped Croatia reach the final of the World Cup.

After such a stunning display at the grandest stage of them all, he was bound to get lucrative offers from various clubs. Arsenal and Liverpool have emerged as top competitors for his signature.

The Evening Standard believes Unai Emery will make a move for the player on the final day of the window ahead of Sunday's game vs Manchester City.

According to Mirror Football, Arsenal will bid £26.9m for the Besiktas defender in the hope it will be enough to beat off competition from Liverpool.

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Rumour Rating/Probability: 5/10

The intention of Arsenal according to these reports is to end the transfer window on a high. They want to strengthen their defense as they already have a formidable attack consisting of Aubameyang, Lacazette, Mkhitaryan, and Ozil. Ultimately, it will depend on Besiktas and whether they want to sell their star defender or not.

What's next?

It will be quite interesting to see if Arsenal can pull off this transfer before the transfer deadline. The window slams shut later today, leaving them with under 24 hours to complete the move.

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