£21m striker reportedly rejected Arsene Wenger years ago, now Arteta wants to sign him for Arsenal
Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Torino striker Antonio Sanabria, a player who Arsene Wenger wanted at the Emirates almost a decade ago.
The Gunners officially missed out on the Premier League title last weekend. They’ve had an incredible campaign, but the end result shows they’re still a long way off Manchester City.
That’s why Arsenal are expected to be very active this summer, and Sanabria is the latest name to come out of the rumour mill.
Arsenal target Antonio Sanabria rejected Arsene Wenger in 2014
Reports from Italy revealed yesterday that Arsenal are among the clubs interested in signing Antonio Sanabria from Torino this summer.
The 27-year-old striker, who is a product of the great La Masia academy in Barcelona, has scored 12 goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances in the Serie A this season.
His performances have made him a wanted man, with the report claiming that Arsenal, Napoli, Inter Milan and AC Milan are all interested in him. Torino want £21 million to let him go.
This isn’t the first time Sanabria has attracted interest from Arsenal, though. Back in 2014, when he was still a teenager in Barcelona, Arsene Wenger really wanted to bring him to North London.
The Daily Mail revealed back in January that year that Arsenal were ready to trigger his £2.5 million release clause to sign him, just like they did with the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin in the past.
However, the outlet claimed that Sanabria chose to reject Wenger’s Arsenal and decided to move to AS Roma in Italy instead.
Our View:
Sanabria is a talented striker and has had an impressive campaign for Torino in the Serie A this season. He is a quality player and there’s a huge chance he’ll get a big move away from Turin this summer.
However, he just isn’t what Arsenal need right now.
The Gunners already have Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah up top, and all three of them are far more established than Torino’s Paraguayan forward.
If Arsenal really do sign a new striker, it has to be someone who will guarantee 20 or so goals a season. Sanabria, sadly, isn’t that player.
