Arsenal will pull off 'bigger coup' than Cristian Romero by signing his available Tottenham teammate
Arsenal would be pulling off a far more eye-catching signing if they were to sign Djed Spence over Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
That is the opinion of former senior Tottenham scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The Gunners have been linked with a move for the centre-back, who now appears set to join Atletico Madrid in the coming days.
Romero had reportedly been open to joining Arsenal, but Tottenham were unwilling to sanction that move and may act similarly for any interest in Spence.
Sources say he is available for transfer as he is not pencilled in for a key starting role by new manager Roberto De Zerbi.
The 26-year-old is in talks over a £25.6million move to Inter Milan and is keen to leave for a more prominent role after a strong World Cup with England.
Arsenal could well offer up to £40m for the right-back, in a move that would certainly give their arch-rivals something to ponder.
'I'd want big money' for Djed Spence
Should Spence leave for under £30m this summer, Tottenham will surely be left with a bad taste in their mouths.
The defender is potentially at the peak of his value, having come off the back of a really impressive World Cup campaign.
The 26-year-old only signed a new contract last summer and there is no pressure to sell him, aside from the pressure of the player himself.
Yet any move that would see Tottenham get more money for Spence would also force them to sell to a direct rival, and that may be hard to stomach. Liverpool have been reportedly considering a move.
"I'd have thought it would have been a bigger coup if he'd gone to Arsenal than Romero. What a player to bring in," King told Football Insider.
"Now he would be a player of interest. If it'd be Liverpool then I'd want big money for him. I would want a lot of money for him. They took the boy [Joe] Gomez, who was a South London boy, but Spence is a better player than him."
Spence would solve Arsenal issues
Truthfully, it would be hard find a player more perfect to solve Arsenal's current squad issues than Spence this summer.
The England international would be able to cover for the injured Jurrien Timber and compete with Ben White at right-back.
He would also provide support at left-back, allowing Piero Hincapie or Riccardo Calafiori to move into the centre in the absence of William Saliba.
However, once Arsenal have their best back together, Spence's role would likely be reduced to one off the bench once more and that is what he is keen to leave behind.