Old Lady could be persuaded to sell Arsenal target Fernando Llorente next summer.
Arsenal could land long-term target Fernando Llorente at the end of the season, according to The Daily Mail.
The tabloid claims the Gunners’ hopes of landing the Spaniard on loan in January are ‘doomed’ but says Juventus may be tempted to cash in on the 28-year-old for around £15m next summer.
The Scudetto winners, who recently admitted they will struggle to hold on to star man Paul Pogba, may be willing to sell Llorente for a profit, having signed him on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao in July.
The Old Lady’s chief executive Beppe Moratta has said there is ‘no way’ the club would consider selling Llorente ‘at the moment’, particular after the striker has begun to impress in Italy.
After a slow start to life in Turin, Llorente has scored in Juve’s last two games against Real Madrid and Napoli and also netted in the Champions League defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Although the Mail claims Juve believe the striker will now go from strength to strength, it is possible that a £15m profit on a 29-year-old will prove too good to resist next summer.
But such a move would not solve the Gunners’ immediate striker shortage. Olivier Giroud has been in fine form this season but the North London outfit are short of alternatives, with the woeful Nicklas Bendter emerging from the bench in Sunday’s defeat at Manchester United to limited effect.
Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski can both play up front but boss Arsene Wenger is thought to view the duo as wide-men primarily, while summer signing Yaya Sanogo is just 20 and untested at Premier League and Champions League level.
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