North London club could offer highly-rated Chile winger an escape route from Camp Nou at the end of the season in a potential deal that would suit the Gunners.
SOURCE: The Daily Mail
Rumours in both the Spanish and English press of late are suggesting that Barcelona’s unsettled Chile international Alexis Sanchez could be weighing up his future with the runaway La Liga leaders at the end of this current campaign, after what has been in many neutral observers’ eyes a desperately disappointing season for the player in Catalonia.
The 24-year-old only arrived at Camp Nou from Serie A outfit Udinese in the summer of 2011, but after an initially a promising start with the Spanish giants in what was ultimately previous head coach Pep Guardiola’s final campaign in charge of the club, his second season under new manager Tito Vilanova has not quite gone according to plan for the promising and exciting wide man.
And, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be following the player’s situation closely when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season as Alexis is a versatile player who would perfectly fit into the London club’s playing style.
In fact, the Gunners were said to be interested in bringing Alexis to the Emirates two years ago, before he made a late decision to move to Barca instead, but with his future now up in the air, this would be the ideal time for Wenger to finally draw on the much publicised £70 million transfer war chest that Arsenal fans have heard so much about.
Alexis cost Barcelona £22m when they bought him from Italy in the summer of 2011, but with the winger having hit such a poor run of form of late, Arsenal will be confident of perhaps persuading the Catalans of letting the player depart Camp Nou this summer for a figure lower than that – although equally the Spaniards will be loathe to take a financial loss on the player.
Either way, if Wenger is serious about restructuring and resurrecting his young, but inexperienced, team for next season, then snaring a transfer coup of this magnitude could be a great start – especially if in turn it helps to persuade other ‘big-name’ players to join the club.
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