Quantcast
Home   >   Transfer News   >   Wenger plotting stunning £60m swoop for world class striker – report

Wenger plotting stunning £60m swoop for world class striker – report

By on August 23, 2016

According to a report by Squawka, Arsene Wenger has been secretly plotting a sensational £60m swoop for Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann this summer.

The boss has been hammered by supporters on social media for not bringing in a top class striker or centre-back yet this summer despite being linked with a number of players in recent weeks.

However, journalist Greg Stobart has claimed in his Squawka article today that Wenger has been working on a deal for Griezmann behind the scenes and is prepared to spend more than £60m signing the French international.

Obviously Atletico Madrid aren’t going to let the 25-year-old leave without having a replacement lined-up and the report suggests the Spaniard’s will allow Griezmann to join Arsenal if they can sign Diego Costa from Chelsea.

That potential deal has been flying around all summer but Squawka claim that the Blues will only sell the Spanish international if they can sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton.

Again, that’s a deal that’s been dragging on for weeks and it looks at though our entire hopes of pulling off a major coup and signing Griezmann rely on Chelsea managing to lure Lukaku away from Goodison Park.

Unfortunately, Everton have been demanding crazy money for the Belgian international and boss Ronald Koeman said over the weekend that Lukaku had indicated he was happy to stay at the club.

So Chelsea’s hopes of signing Lukaku appear dead in the water, which means Costa won’t be heading back to Spain and Griezmann won’t be allowed to complete a stunning move to Arsenal. That’s how the story goes anyway.

It’s difficult to know how much truth there is behind this Squawka report but it does seem to make sense. Wenger has been saying all summer that he’s prepared to spend if the right player becomes available and wasn’t going to spend over the odds just for the sake of it.

He wants a striker who is top class and I genuinely think he would spend huge money if a worldie like Griezmann was on the market. Many fans will immediately say ‘why would he join Arsenal?’ but the report claims that Arsene was quietly confident that his compatriot was open to moving to London.

Remember the boss was captured speaking with Griezmann during the Euro’s?

Wenger has always said he won’t pay over the odds unless the player is worth it and a prime example is Lacazette. Apparently Lyon now want around £50m-£60m for him, and Arsene is understandably refusing to pay that kind of money because he’s not an elite striker.

MORE: Player stalls on move after Arsenal make late enquiry

Griezmann is a different class to Lacazette so would certainly be worth a fee of £60m in today’s market and the 25-year-old would be an amazing signing as he’s now one of the best forward’s in world football.

However, this deal looks to be a pipe dream now as it would take a miracle for Lukaku -> Chelsea and Costa -> Atletico to happen to allow Griezmann to move to the Emirates.

It’s a real shame as I think Wenger wants to land a world class striker but the fact is they are extremely difficult to sign, and we’re now going to be left paying over the odds for someone not much better than Giroud, taking a punt on a youngster or going with what we’ve got.