- Arsenal remain keen on signing Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko
- Arsenal urged to sign Omar Marmoush and Ademola Lookman
- Arsenal plot swoop to sign Atalanta ace Charles De Ketelaere
- Arsenal reach agreement to sign Alberto Moleiro
- Arsenal lead race to sign Chelsea star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
- Confirmed line-ups: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace – Tierney & Nwaneri start for Gunners
- Arsenal predicted line-up against Crystal Palace
- Arsenal keen on signing Barcelona forward Raphinha
- Arsenal working on a deal to sign Maxim De Cuyper
- Arsenal to step up efforts to sign Randal Kolo Muani
£59m hitman demands move, favours Arsenal over Man Utd – reports
According to reports in Spain via the Express, Alvaro Morata now wants to leave Real Madrid and favours a move to Arsenal over the likes of Manchester United.
Morata’s future became one of the sagas of the summer after Real Madrid activated a £23m buyback option to re-sign him from Juventus and he was linked with a number of clubs as it was initially thought he would be sold on at a profit.
It then looked as though the 23-year-old would remain in Spain after Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane asked the club not to cash-in on him, however, there appears to have been another u-turn.
The Express are citing reports coming from El Confidencial who claim that Morata has now got concerns over the amount of first team football he’ll play at the Bernabeu and has told friends he wants to leave.
Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are all guaranteed starters for Madrid so it’s understandable that Morata has concerns over his place and a lack of regular game-time was the reason he left for Juve two years ago.
The Spanish outlet says the striker has already instructed his agent to find him a new club and they claim he favours a move to Arsenal over the likes of Manchester United – who are also understood to be keen on luring him to England.
It’s difficult to know how much truth there is behind all this but on the face of it it’s believable that Morata would want us over United. His competition at Old Trafford would be fierce given he’d be up against Ibrahimovic, Rashford and Rooney. Whereas at Arsenal, he’d only have Giroud to worry about.
We all know Arsene Wenger is in the market for a top class striker and no doubt Morata would fit the bill perfectly, but the Express suggest Madrid will demand £59m for his signature, so we’re going to have to break the bank to sign him.
I’m not sure the boss will be willing to pay that kind of money, especially as we’ve also got to splash out on a new centre-back, so either Wenger is going to have to try and negotiate a deal with Madrid or forget Morata and continue pursuing Alexandre Lacazette.
MORE: Photo – midfielder snapped at London Colney after completing Arsenal move
The French international is a more realistic target as he should be available for £40m max, and as that price-range is far more within our budget I think we’ll end up seeing Lacazette joining Arsenal.
Where will that leave Morata? Who knows, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up staying at Madrid for a season to see if he can oust Benzema.
Pingback: Update on Arsenal's pursuit of Mustafi, Draxler & Mahrez [BBC] | Arsenal Station | Arsenal FC News