Arsenal identify 24-year-old Serie A star as a potential transfer target, will have to pay at least €40m to sign him: Reports

Arsenal have emerged as one of the strong favorites to sign Atalanta's shotstopper Marco Carnesecchi next summer, according to reports via Corriere dello Sport. The Italian goalkeeper has been in tremendous form this season and is believed to have caught the eyes of the Gunners.

Carnesecchi is regarded as one of Europe's promising shot-stoppers due to his impressive performances for Atalanta. The 24-year-old kept 10 clean sheets for La Dea last season, conceding 34 goals in 32 league games. He has also started on a very good note this campaign, which sees Atalanta at the top of the Serie A standings with 40 points after 17 games. He's kept nine clean sheets in 22 games across competitions.

Carnesecchi's performances haven't gone unnoticed as he is said to be attracting interest from some top European teams, with Arsenal among the top contenders.

Reports via Italian news outlet Corriere dello Sport suggest that the Gunners already have an excellent relationship with Carnesecchi agents. The shot-stopper is currently being managed by World Soccer Agency, which happens to be the same agent as Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori.

Carnesecchi's contract with Atalanta is expected to expire in 2026. While the club haven't placed a transfer fee on him, Corriere reports that a fee in the region of €40-50 million could be enough for Arsenal to sign him.

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Atalanta manager hails Arsenal transfer target following impressive performance against Cagliari

Gian Piero Gasperini wasn't too impressed with his side's narrow win against Cagliari to maintain their position at the top of the Serie A standings after 17 games.

La Dea secured a hard-fought 1-0 win courtesy of a 66th-minute winner from substitute Nicolò Zaniolo on December 14. However, the Italian side needed five big saves from in-form shot-stopper Carnesecchi to ensure that they came out with all three points.

After his side's 10th consecutive league win, Gasperini was quick to hail the Arsenal transfer target's impact during their victory against Cagliari. He said via Football Italia:

"Considering our position in the table, we had extra motivation to cling on tight to the result, and towards the end the defenders and midfielders fought hard to keep going.

"It’s true that we were lucky in some situations during the first half and were rescued by Carnesecchi. We changed our system at half-time, were in control and ran few risks, then when we took the lead, we failed to make the most of the gaps that opened up on the counter, so that was a sign of lacking maturity.

“Cagliari put a lot of crosses in and risked scoring an equaliser, but we did well to hold on.”

Carnesecchi was also in goal for Atalanta when they played out a goalless draw against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League earlier this season.