Arsenal leading Tottenham in race for Frankfurt's Evan N'Dicka
By Tom Gott
Arsenal are ahead of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign young Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N'Dicka.
The 21-year-old Frenchman first came on to the radar of Premier League sides back in March 2020, but N'Dicka picked up a nasty injury during the summer which saw his suitors look at other options instead.
However, he has since recovered and made it back to his best form, helping Frankfurt to five wins in his last six appearances for the club, and Bild claim that Arsenal have reignited their interest in the young defender.
The Gunners are expected to try and rejuvenate their back line in the summer. Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos both left the club in the winter window, while David Luiz's contract is up at the end of the season.
Scouts have earmarked N'Dicka as a potential star of the future, and the fact that he is left-footed and comfortable as a left-back is also believed to have worked in his favour.
Arsenal are said to be leading fellow suitors Tottenham and Southampton in the race for N'Dicka's signature, largely because he is represented by the man who brokered Nicolas Pepe's move to the Emirates, Michael N'Cho Ibou.
There will likely be more interested sides if N'Dicka can maintain his current level of performance. When he returned from injury in November, Frankfurt sat 11th in the Bundesliga, but a run of just one defeat since then has carried them up to fourth.
He remains under contract in Germany until 2023, so Frankfurt will be in no urgent rush to sell, although recent departures of the likes of Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller prove that Frankfurt are always prepared to sell for the right price.
Arsenal would have to pay up if they want to land N'Dicka, but the interest from Tottenham and Southampton may well drive Frankfurt's asking price up a little more.
The defender has previously attracted interest from Valencia, Sevilla, AC Milan and Inter, and it seems like just a matter of time before N'Dicka seals his blockbuster move away from the Deutsche Bank Park.