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Arsenal’s Interest In £8m Striker Is ‘Well Advanced’

By mac14 on January 8, 2014

Arsenal are being linked with strikers left, right and centre and the latest name being tipped for a move to the Emirates is Standard Liege youngster Michy Batshuayi.

According to reports, Arsene Wenger is showing a keen interest in the 20-year-old with his scouting of the player believed to be at an advanced stage.

However, we face stiff competition for his signature from clubs all over Europe with Borussia Dortmund the latest side to express an interest as they look for replacements for the Bayern Munich-bound Robert Lewandowski.

Some newspaper reports are suggesting Wenger was planning on waiting until the summer before making his move but the boss may be forced to bring forward his plans due to the intense interest being shown in the striker – who has a buy-out clause worth in the region of £8m.

The players agent, Christophe Henrotay, recently confirmed Premier League clubs are keeping a close eye on the striker but claims clubs in other countries are showing a more serious interest at this time. He said:

‘There are Premier League clubs that are following him closely, but that’s all. The interest from other big leagues is more serious.

‘I’m still surprised by the way Standard communicates about Michy. The situation is very simple: if a club triggers his release clause, he can start negotiating with a club.

‘I’ve the mandate to negotiate a transfer. At this moment there are no clubs that offered the full amount to trigger the clause. My player is still happy at Standard. For sure.

‘But there’s a lot of interest in him. It’s getting hot. When a club decides to trigger his clause, it’s up to Michy to decide.’

Batshuayi may not be a name many are too familiar with but he’s been making real waves in Belgium where he’s scored 37 goals since breaking into the Standard Liege first team in 2012.