Arsenal have made an official approach for Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard worth around £9.3million ($11.8m), Sporting News understands.
The Denmark international has established himself as one of Brentford’s most consistent performers since arriving from Fiorentina in 2020.
Highly respected among coaching staff and teammates at Brentford, the 31-year-old captained the Bees throughout last season and is said to be keen on a new challenge away from the club.
Mikel Arteta’s side are in the market to replace Thomas Partey who is expected to leave the Gunners upon expiration of his contract on June 30.
Partey, 32, has been holding out for a bumper pay rise which Arsenal are not expected to give him due to his age and lack of resale value.
Arteta views Norgaard’s experience and tactical intelligence as key assets for a squad who have had a relatively young average age over the past couple of years.
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Norgaard, who would be in for a considerable pay rise if he joins Arsenal, was joint fourth for dribblers tackled by midfielders last season (48) and joint second for midfielder interceptions (49).
After Thomas Frank’s departure to Tottenham, an exodus of several key players including Bryan Mbeumo and Norgaard is expected.
Mbeumo remains keen on a move to Manchester United while Norgaard’s preference would be to stay in London, although it’s worth noting the latter still has two years to run on his contract.
