Lille turn to Vito Mannone after failing to buy Arsenal goalkeeper | OneFootball

Lille made an attempt to sign Runar Alex Runarsson earlier this summer, and they’ve now turned to former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

L’Equipe (via GFFN) report that Lille OSC are set to complete the signing of former Gunner Vito Mannone, having tried to sign Arsenal’s Runar Alex Runarsson earlier in the summer.

Lille made an attempt to bring Runarsson in on a permanent deal, but the transfer was reportedly too expensive for them.

Runarsson ended up moving to Cardiff City on loan, and Mannone will sign a two-year deal with the club instead.

Runarsson is widely believed to be in the final year of his contract with the Gunners, so unless he quietly signed an extension before leaving, the goalkeeper will become a free agent at the end of his loan.

Cardiff play their football in the Championship, so this is Runarsson’s first opportunity to play regularly in England.

The 28-year-old made one Premier League appearance for Arsenal, coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes against Wolves in 2021 after the Gunners were reduced to nine men.

But the rest of Runarsson’s Arsenal spell has been spent either on the bench or out on loan.

The goalkeeper spent the 2021/22 season on loan with OH Leuven, making 21 appearances in all competitions. He then joined Alanyaspor for the 2022/23 campaign.