Joao Moutinho was a bit of a flop in France. Can he regain his form in the Premier League with Arsene Wenger?
Arsenal appear to have the fast lane to a deal with AS Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho with his club giving him permission to transfer.
According to the Daily Star, Monaco are eager to trim the fat from their roster and view Moutinho, with an £14-18 million value, as one of the more expendable parts. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reportedly sees Moutinho – who led the Monaco team that eliminated the Gunners from the Round of 16 in the Champions League last year – as a replacement for Mathieu Flamini. The Daily Star reported that Moutinho has a mutual interest in moving to England as opposed to joining Zenit St Petersburg or returning to Porto.
Moutinho first joined Monaco in 2013 for £18 million as part of a double-transfer out of Porto that included his teammate James Rodriguez, but Rodriguez was sold the following season and Moutinho hasn’t been the superstar the French outfit was hoping for.
Man United was considered an interested party earlier in the summer, but the Red Devils’ recent acquisitions of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have left them with more than enough bodies to fill Moutinho’s traditional center back role effectively.
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