Report: Arsenal have signed PSG’s Yacine Adli

David Hytner of The Guardian, and French media outlet RMC, are reporting that Arsenal have sealed an agreement with highly-rated PSG youth midfielder Yacine Adli. Hytner reports that Adli signed a three-year contract after rejecting a professional contract with his former club, and if true this will mark the second signing this week for Arsenal and new head coach Unai Emery - the first being Stephan Lichtsteiner, whose move on a free transfer from Juventus was announced yesterday.

The Guardian states in their article today that Arsenal’s Head of Recruitment, Sven Mislintat, was hot on Adli’s trail long before Emery was hired as head coach last month, but that it was Emery who helped close this deal ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and, of course, PSG. This fits in line with the strategy that CEO Ivan Gazidis laid out following in the wake of Arsene Wenger’s resignation, that the club will be aggressive in seeking out and bringing in some of the best young players in the world, as Adli is widely-considered to be among the best young players in France.

Adli received his first senior team appearance for PSG last season in a late-match substitution versus Caen, but it’s expected that he’s going to feature more prominently, and often, for Arsenal.