“Guardiola is my good friend but the player has choosen to join Arsenal and I can’t force him”: Manager responds to Man city eye-watering bid to hijack Arsenal transfer despite player have agreed to join Arteta’s side by January
“Guardiola is my good friend but the player has choosen to join Arsenal and I can’t force him”: Manager responds to Man city eye-watering bid to hijack Arsenal transfer despite player have agreed to join Arteta’s side by January
Arsenal are reportedly ‘willing’ to make a move to sign Aston Villa star Jhon Duran next year, as per the Spanish outlet Fichajes.
After moving to Villa Park at the beginning of last year, the Colombian initially took time to settle down in his new surroundings but he has enjoyed a stellar start to this season.
Unai Emery has largely used him as a rotational player thus far this term, still, he has already scored seven goals in only two starts in all competitions. He is currently the highest scorer for the Villans this campaign ahead of Ollie Watkins.
Now, Fichajes states that having been impressed by the 20-year-old’s recent displays, Arsenal have started showing strong interest in signing him next year to strengthen the attack.
The South American recently extended his deal until 2030 with Aston Villa and that hasn’t put off the Gunners from signing him. Emery’s side are currently in a strong position to demand a large sum if they are forced to cash-in and have slapped a whopping £75m[€90m] price tag on his head.
Duran to Arsenal
The report says that Barcelona are also keen on signing Duran but they don’t have the financial muscle to get this deal done so Arsenal have a slight ‘advantage’ over the Blaugrana in this race.
The North London club currently have Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus as the centre-forward options after selling Eddie Nketiah to Crystal Palace in the summer.
Havertz has been in excellent form in recent times and as a result, he has now established himself as the first-choice striker for the Emirates club. But, Jesus has had injury problems over the last few years and has found it difficult to showcase his best.
Therefore, purchasing a new prolific goal-scorer to strengthen the attack would be the right decision. Duran is a highly talented player and has now started showcasing his qualities.
Therefore, if he can consistently perform at his best throughout the season then he would be a great option for Arsenal to reinforce the frontline should they hire him.
It is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually make a concrete approach to purchase the South American ahead of next season.
