Arsenal sent transfer boost on Aaron Hickey pursuit after Golden Boy nomination

Arsenal have received a boost in their pursuit of Bologna defender Aaron Hickey with the Serie A club admitting that the Scotland international could be sold this summer.

The Bologna full-back is reportedly closing in on a move to the Premier League with the Gunners leading the chase, as Mikel Arteta looks to make his first signing of the summer. Recent reports had claimed that a fee worth £21million is close to being agreed, with Hickey apparently keen to join the Gunners.

Hickey has been in a rich vein of form for club and country this year which has resulted in him making the 100-player shortlist for the Golden Boy award for 2022. The Scot has scored five goals in 48 appearances for the Italian side, whom he joined from Hearts two years ago - while he has also been capped four times at international level for Scotland.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Hickey to provide meaningful competition to Kieran Tierney at left-back. The Gunners also have Nuno Tavares in the position, but the Portuguese player struggled in his debut campaign at The Emirates.

Indeed, Tavares was out of form in the closing weeks of the campaign as he was forced to deputise for the injured Tierney but failed to impress in a series of error-strewn performances. That is said to have forced the North London club to up their pursuit of Hickey this summer.

Bologna sporting director Marco di Vaio has now admitted, in quotes carried by Football Italia, that Hickey may be among the players departing the club this summer: "It could be, he is one of those we could sacrifice, but if we don't receive adequate offers, he'll likely stay for another year.

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"We have a good potential to do well and earn more than 50 points. We must be good at financing new signings and finding new players. If we make the right moves, we'll be able to replace them and keep all the others."

Primarily a left-back, Hickey can also play as a central midfielder, and also right-back and as a central defender. Former Hearts boss Craig Levein said of the player: "He's got really good defensive qualities but I don't know if he'll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield. He could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet."