Exclusive: Arsenal defender medical underway after bid accepted and terms agreed
Arsenal defender Maldini Kacurri is booked for a medical at Grimsby Town after they agreed a permanent deal, sources have told Football Insider.
The Premier League leaders have accepted a bid for the 20-year-old and given him permission to travel for talks and a medical to finalise the agreement.
Kacurri is set to sign an 18-month deal with the League Two club.
Grimsby are keen to bolster their defensive options and have moved quickly to beat rivals from higher-placed sides to land the centre-back.
Kacurri has just finished a successful spell on loan at Morecambe, where he greatly impressed winning both their Player of the Month awards for October and November respectively.
The Albania international’s impressive form has attracted interest from teams higher up the pyramid either on a loan or permanent basis.
He is well down the first-team pecking order under Mikel Arteta, but was part of the squad for the 1-0 win against Tottenham in September 2024, and came off the bench to replace Riccardo Calafiori in the Carabao Cup win against Bolton later that month.
Maldini Kacurri set to join Grimsby from Arsenal
Football Insider exclusively agreed on 5 January that Arsenal are prepared to let Kacurri leave on a permanent deal following his loan spell.
Kacurri made 18 appearances for Morecambe during his short-term loan spell, and while they were keen to keep him on, the Gunners opted to explore other options.
A number of EFL clubs were chasing Kacurri, but Grimsby now appear to have won the race for his signature and are close completing the deal.
The central defender signed his first professional contract with the Gunners in 2024, and was sent on loan to further his development in senior football.
He will now be given another shot at the EFL after Arsenal approved his permanent exit.
Arsenal to miss out on Julian Alvarez deal
While it has been a quiet January transfer window at the Emirates, Arsenal have been assessing long-term targets ahead of the summer transfer window.
Atletico Madrid’s former Man City star Julian Alvarez has emerged among their targets, amid suggestions he could leave the Spanish outfit in the summer.
However, Football Insider revealed on 24 January that Atletico Madrid want over £80million for Alvarez, making the deal unlikely for the Gunners.
Liverpool were linked with Alvarez last year before they signed Alexander Isak, and rumours around a potential return to the Premier League have not gone away ahead of this summer.
However, any deal will prove difficult to pull off as Atletico remain determined to keep hold of their best players despite interest from elsewhere.
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