Arsenal have now "submitted" 6-year contract offer to £43m star, Jurrien Timber is his role model - report

Arsenal are leading Chelsea in the race to sign Ajax wonderkid Jorrel Hato, according to journalist Sebastien Vidal.

The Gunners tried to recruit centre-back Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth earlier this summer, but the Spaniard chose to join Real Madrid instead.

Arsenal are likely to pursue an alternative, and Vidal claims that the Gunners have ‘submitted’ a six-year contract offer to Dutch sensation Hato.

Talks are ‘progressing’ with the player’s camp and Ajax. The left-footed centre-back is now closer to joining the Gunners, with Chelsea trailing behind.

A transfer will reportedly cost around £43 million.

Hato would be a superb acquisition for Arsenal

The Gunners have held a long-term interest in Hato. He was initially linked with the club as a 17-year-old.

The 19-year-old was mentioned as a possible solution for the club last summer, but they opted to sign Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna instead.

Calafiori has primarily played as a left-back for the Gunners alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly. This could be the Italian’s long-term position at Arsenal.

It is quite clear that Arsenal want a young and emerging left-footed centre-back. They were unable to convince Huijsen. Hato would be an equally good acquisition.

The teenager is primarily a central defender, but he played as a left-back for Ajax last season. Despite this, he had a good passing accuracy of 90 percent in the Eredivisie.

Hato won 52 percent of his duels. He registered two tackles and two clearances per outing, alongside four recoveries. He should only get better with age and experience.

Arsenal seem prepared to pay a premium fee for his potential. Convincing him may not be difficult as Hato has previously hinted that he would like to follow in the footsteps of Jurrien Timber.

Timber is a role model for the young Dutchman. The 24-year-old could play a significant role in persuading his compatriot to join the Gunners in the coming days.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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