Jules Kounde could be a smart option for Arsenal as they work behind the scenes on signing a new centre-back, according to Fabrizio Romano.The Gunners are currently without William Saliba for potentially a large chunk of the season due to a serious injury, and it seems they’re scouring the market for cover.Romano believes Arsenal are working on a deal behind the scenes, but he’s not yet aware of anything concrete with Kounde, despite some transfer gossip to that effect.Still, speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano made it clear that he could see Kounde being a smart signing for Arsenal due to his ability to play both centre-back and right-back.Fabrizio Romano on Jules Kounde to Arsenal links“Arsenal are working behind the scenes on a new centre-back,” Romano said.“Tottenham are not selling Romero to Arsenal. I told you, this is why Romero is close to Atletico Madrid.Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust“Arsenal are still looking for a centre-back on the market. Kounde, in my personal opinion, would be a smart solution because he can be a right-back, he can be a centre-back.“So, would be a good solution for Arsenal who probably need to cover both positions in terms of players, but we will see how many they will add. Maybe it’s going to be just one, but at the moment from both sides they are not confirming any advanced negotiations for Jules Kounde to Arsenal.“Should anything change, I will let you know.”More Stories / Latest NewsFabrizio Romano comments on “smart solution” for Arsenal as they work on transfer behind the scenesAug 12 2026, 9:45Sources: Liverpool have “held talks” over signing £75m Man Utd & Arsenal target in surprise moveAug 12 2026, 9:26‘I know internally..’ – Journalist names shock Liverpool star on Man City radarAug 12 2026, 9:15Could Arsenal swoop for Jules Kounde?It sounds like Arsenal are not yet seriously working on a deal for Kounde, but perhaps this is something they’re keeping quiet, with Romano dropping us a little hint that a deal could be one to watch.It’s not like Romano to offer too much in the way of speculation or opinion like this with regards to a big-name player and a big club, so he’ll surely be aware that he’s now fuelling this story to an extent.We’ll have to see how this develops, but knowing what we know about how Romano covers stories like this, we expect this might be the start of a saga to keep a close eye on.Kounde would undoubtedly be a good fit for Arsenal, adding versatility and experience to Mikel Arteta’s squad, and ensuring that the likes of Saliba and Jurrien Timber won’t be missed too much while they’re out injured.The post Fabrizio Romano comments on “smart solution” for Arsenal as they work on transfer behind the scenes appeared first on CaughtOffside.