Arsenal
Premier League • England
Arsenal tipped to beat Tottenham, Man City to Real Madrid star after ‘leading role’ Arteta promise
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will reportedly aim to persuade Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio to ditch the Spanish giants for the Gunners this summer.
The North Londoners are absolutely flying at the moment, currently sitting eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and on their way to their first title since 2004.
Nevertheless, Arteta is still keen to bolster his squad ahead of next season and Asensio looks set to be available on a free transfer.
Reports have claimed that the manager will be given plenty of money to spend after his success this term, with several high-profile targets on his shortlist.
Now, according to Spanish outlet Nacional (via Football365), Arteta is ‘very close’ to persuading Asensio to ‘ ‘betray’ Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and join Arsenal.
They add that the winger ‘will leave Madrid in June’ on a free transfer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season after the LaLiga giants have failed to convince him to stay.
Perez has now allegedly ‘given up trying to make him stay’ with his wage demands ‘considered excessive,’ with no chance of reaching ‘any agreement or understanding’.
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Arteta promises Asensio ‘leading role’ at Arsenal
Asensio is believed to be demanding a new €6m per season contract, but with eight goals and six assists in 36 outings this term, Madrid do not believe he’s done enough to justify that wage.
Now, the 27-year-old’s agent, Jorge Mendes, ‘has been in contact with all the suitors he has’ including AC Milan, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.
Indeed, as previously revealed by TEAMtalk, Tottenham, along with Arsenal and Manchester City, will make offers for Asensio this summer.
However, ‘everything indicates that Asensio will finally join the ranks of Arsenal’ as they are ‘best positioned’ to land Asensio, with Arteta ‘promising him a leading role’ at the Emirates, as per Nacional’s report.
While he has not been in prolific form for Madrid this season, Asensio certainly knows what it takes to compete consistently at the highest level – something that could be valuable to the Gunners.
Overall, in an impressive seven-year stint at the Bernabeu, Asensio has featured 271 times, scoring 57 goals and making 30 assists in the process.
In his glittering career, the attacker has won three LaLiga titles, three Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups and three Spanish Super Cups.
If Arteta wants to create a true trophy-winning legacy at Arsenal, Asensio could be exactly what he needs to do so, with the Gunners now reportedly leading the race to sign him on a free transfer.