Walcott linked to AC Milan as Arsenal ‘line up player swap’

Oli Fisher
Theo Walcott: Keen to give England advantage

Theo Walcott: Keen to give England advantage

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has been linked with a shock move to Serie A giants AC Milan with speculation mounting over the player’s future.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Milan have reached out to Arsenal about the possibility of signing the player, who has fallen down the pecking order after the emergence of Alex Iwobi.

The 27-year-old has made 27 appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring five and bagging two assists in what has been an under-par season.

Arsene Wenger has admitted that the future of Walcott is unsure as speculation surrounds the club that they are looking to offload his teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as well.

The deal may also include highly rated Rossoneri midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who made his first team debut in a recent home match against Carpi, coming on as a substitute.

Locatelli is a player who Arsenal are reportedly keen to bring in, while the Italians could use Walcott as a replacement for Jeremy Menez, as he looks set to leave the club this summer.

The 18-year-old recently made the breakthrough into the first team squad after impressing in the Primavera at Milan, scoring three times from midfield during the 2015-16 campaign.

Calciomercato did state that the deal “is still in its infancy” but that the signing could be the first piece of a revolution for Milan.

The Arsenal boss was typically mysterious when asked about the future of Walcott.

“I don’t know yet, I’m not in transfer mode at the moment, but I think he has gone through a bad spell,” Wenger said.

“Let’s see how well he finishes the season.”

The Gunners have failed to live up to the promise they showed early in the season, and speaking earlier in the season Theo Walcott showed the belief that the wait for a title could be over.

“It could be our year this year but we need to focus on not looking too far ahead, that is important,” he said.

“The sense in the dressing room at this moment in time, the players that are in there believe we need to be doing better, we’ve got the talent it is just, at times, the work ethic may not be there.”