Report names one sacrifice Arsenal must make to sign £20m target

Arsenal will have to sacrifice Aaron Ramsey in January if they are to land top target Denis Suarez from Barcelona, according to a report.

Ramsey is in the final year of his contract, but it is understood that Unai Emery would rather keep the Welsh midfielder until the end of the season and lose him for free than sell him in the current transfer window.

However, limited funds mean Emery will have to make a choice between Ramsey and Barcelona midfielder Suarez, who has emerged as one of the Gunners’ main targets.

According to Sport, Suarez – who hasn’t started a single La Liga match for Barcelona this season – is intent on joining Arsenal and is prepared to reject other offers to secure the move. But the Evening Standard indicate that Suarez’s £20m price tag will be problematic for Arsenal, meaning someone will have to leave to fund the move.

With Ramsey set to move on in the summer anyway, he is seen as the most likely player to be sold, despite Emery’s wish to keep hold of him. Ramsey has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus, and while previous reports indicated that the Italians would be waiting to sign him on a free, the switch could be arranged this month to free up funds for Arsenal.

Another alternative, the Standard report suggests, would be for Arsenal to offer Ramsey to Barcelona in a straight swap for Suarez. Although there has been no previous mention of interest in Ramsey from the reigning La Liga champions, it could be a compromise that suits both parties.

Suarez, who has also been linked with Valencia and AC Milan, previously played under Emery in a loan spell at Sevilla in the 2014-15 season.

 

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