‘Inevitable’ Arsenal target will achieve transfer with Arteta ready to pounce; Gunners could save £70m
A player heavily linked with Arsenal is destined to secure a transfer in the summer, and the Gunners could save as much as £70million when signing him instead of an alternative star.
Arsenal still have a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table following their 3-0 away win over Fulham at the weekend. They are in a great position to win their first league title since 2003/04, although Manchester City will push them all the way.
Mikel Arteta’s side are also still in with a shout of Europa League glory. On Thursday they will come up against Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their round of 16 tie. The score is delicately poised at 2-2 after the first leg.
It could end up being a hugely successful campaign for Arsenal. But Arteta wants to continue making the side better and this means more big names could arrive at the Emirates during the summer window.
Lazio ace Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is a player who has long been linked with a move to Arsenal. While a transfer has never materialised in previous windows, one could happen later this year.
Milinkovic-Savic is in the final 18 months of his Lazio deal. And it is unlikely he will agree fresh terms, therefore helping him push through a transfer to a different league.
On Monday, Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport revealed how Arsenal are ‘ready to take action’ and finally capture the midfielder.
Lazio would ideally like to bring in £44million from his sale. Although, Milinkovic-Savic’s agent believes a deal can be struck for between £30-35m.
Player exit ‘inevitable’ with Arsenal ready to move in
Il Tempo, as cited by Tuttomercatoweb, have now provided an update on the situation. They state that a farewell between the Serbian and Lazio is ‘inevitable’ due to contract talks stalling once again.
This puts Arsenal in a fantastic position to make Milinkovic-Savic their latest marquee signing.
And while the Serie A star is a big name, his move could still save Arsenal around £70m.
The Gunners are on the hunt for a new midfielder to compete with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Jorginho and Thomas Partey for the spots alongside Martin Odegaard. And West Ham’s Declan Rice has been named as their primary target.
But Rice will cost around £100m. So by going for Milinkovic-Savic, who could be as cheap as £30m, Arsenal sporting director Edu could save huge money. And this would allow him to strengthen other positions in addition to the midfield.
One thing that is certain is that Arsenal’s recruitment team must be trusted. They brought in Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior in the winter window.
Trossard in particular has looked fantastic. He registered a hat-trick of assists during the victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Trossard has helped to fill in at centre-forward during Gabriel Jesus’ recovery from knee injury. Jesus is now back in the fold, but Trossard’s top-class ability means he will still play a crucial role in the final few months of the season. And the success of his transfer must be used as praise towards Arsenal’s recruitment staff.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are emerging as genuine contenders in the battle for a top Man Utd target, according to a report.
