Emery wants reunion with Argentina World Cup man to replace Wilshere

Arsenal could make an offer for Argentina and Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega, claims a report in Italy.

The transfer would reunite Banega with former manager Unai Emery, who he played under at Valencia and Sevilla.

La Gazzetta dello Sport believes that Emery wants to link up with Banega again, prompting Arsenal to bid for him.

Banega’s agent Marcelo Simonian is set to travel to London to discuss a move for his client, who came on as a substitute in Argentina’s World Cup opener against Iceland.

However, it’s likely that Arsenal would have to sell some players to afford the transfer, as the impending arrivals of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira mean Emery has already spent most of his transfer budget.

Joel Campbell and Lucas Perez will be allowed to leave in order to raise funds, according to the London Evening Standard.

Banega, who turns 30 this month, has also played for Boca Juniors, Atletico Madrid, Newell’s Old Boys and Inter Milan during his 12-year career.

Emery reportedly sees him as a replacement for Jack Wilshere, who is increasingly likely to leave the club when his contract expires this month.

Banega is contracted at Sevilla until 2020, having played 142 times for the club. During his time there, he won the Europa League twice with Emery.