Arsenal closing on second signing after agreeing terms with Serie A side

Arsenal are claimed to have agreed a deal with Bologna which will see Aaron Hickey join the club this summer.

The Gunners agreed a deal last summer to bring Takehiro Tomiyasu in from the same side last summer, a move which looked to be a masterstroke before he moved to miss much of the campaign through injury, and we now look to have returned to Italy to sign a player to fill a role on the opposite side of the defence.

Hickey made a bold move by leaving Scotland to join the Rossoblu shortly after his 18th birthday, having already earned his place a regular in the Heart of Midlothian side, and he has really come into his own this season.

It was a little bit of a slow opening year for him in Italy with limited playing time in the first-team, but he has really showed his worth to the side since the summer, and a number of top clubs have been linked with his signature. It is Arsenal however who are claimed to have agreed a deal with his current side, with Bologna director Riccardo Bigon claimed by CalcioNapoli24 (via Football.Italia) to have come to London this weekend to carve out terms.

I can’t help but feel excited about this potential signing, with his arrival likely to signal an end to Nuno Tavares‘s hopes of playing a role for us next season. I imagine the Portuguese will be allowed to leave on loan in order to try and build on the raw potential that he possesses, but Hickey looks like he will be the more complete player, similarly to Kieran Tierney.

Would you cash-in on Tavares this summer, or is here more to come from him in the future? Could we keep three options for the role next term with the added European football?

Patrick