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Arsenal to launch swoop for £50m England star if key man leaves

By mac14 on July 28, 2017

According to a report in the Express, Arsenal will look to sign Everton’s Ross Barkley if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaves the club this summer.

The Ox is being strongly linked with a move away from the Emirates as he has just one year remaining on his current contract and is yet to agree terms over an extension.

Several top Premier League clubs are showing a keen interest and while Arsene Wenger remains adamant the midfielder won’t be sold, it hasn’t stopped the papers from suggesting he’ll be on the move before the close of the window.

If that happens, then the Express are citing a report from Daily Mail that claims Arsenal will try and sign Barkley after Wenger identified the Toffees midfielder as a potential replacement.

Like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley is considered as one of England’s brightest young talents and he too has just one year left on his contract at Goodison Park.

Ronald Koeman has confirmed the 23-year-old can leave if a suitable offer comes in after Barkley made it clear he won’t be signing an extension but the newspaper suggests they are demanding £50m for his signature.

That’s certainly more than the price being touted for Oxlade-Chamberlain and we’ll also face some stiff competition for his signature with the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea being linked.

However, Everton legend Alan Stubbs has tipped Barkley to end up at Arsenal this summer. He’s quoted as saying by the Express last month:

“The fact that Ross still hasn’t signed, I think that’s the biggest indicator that his future lies elsewhere,”

“With Tottenham you have got Dele Alli in a similar position and, looking at Dele, he is ahead of Ross at this moment in time.

“Looking at those teams I think Arsenal are probably a team that he could go to.”

The Ox and Barkley are very similar in that they are both 23 and have yet to really fulfill their true potential. I am a fan of Barkley as he has the talent to become a top player but he’s not there yet and I wouldn’t actually prefer we just kept hold of Oxlade-Chamberlain.

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He’s far more versatile given he can play in several roles and he also has all the making of a top class player if he can continue the kind of form he showed during the second half of last season.

Let’s see what happens but I have a feeling we’ll see Ox sign a new deal at the Emirates in the end. As for Barkley? He’ll probably end up at Tottenham or Chelsea.