Barcelona are reportedly open to offload Antoine Griezmann to sign Inter star Lautaro Martinéz despite signing him last summer, so that the Catalan giants can cut their losses in order to bring in some cash, all because of the havoc wrecked by Covid-19 in Spain.
Arsenal were linked with a move for the Catalan star back in 2013, but that couldn’t materialize as Griezmann, who was very much keen to shift his base to London back then, wanted to have a conversation with Arsene Wenger, the-then Arsenal manager. However, he never got the chance to do so and was eventually snubbed by the Gunners. Griezmann, in his autobiography, revealed that he waited and waited for Wenger to have a conversation with him, but to no avail.
Arsenal have again expressed their ‘keen’ interest to sign the World Cup winner after the miscommunication back in the summer of 2013, but they will have to climb a mountain to make this deal possible.
Arsenal have been informed of 3 ways to secure his services.
First would be to pay a fee of about £97 million, a straight sale, which is not feasible owing to their financial constraints after splashing out heavily on Nicolas Pepe recently.
The second option would be a loan deal, similar to the Coutinho move to Bayern, a deal which Barca would prefer ( The Gunners are one of a host of clubs linked with signing Philippe Coutinho this summer…..). If they want to acquire the services of a big name like Neymar, removing one of the forwards, preferably Griezmann, is a prerequisite.
Third would be a swap deal- swapping the Gabon giant Aubameyang with Griezmann, a deal which the Arsenal fans would despise. Aubameyang has been consistently scoring and has been on the score sheets regularly and it would be difficult for the Gunners to give him away.
But the market is in a state of uncertainty and with potential changes to the dates of the transfer window as European leagues attempt to finish their domestic seasons, a straight sale may be a more realistic option, if, of course, they can afford money in excess of £95 million.
The Gunners are even eyeing Philippe Coutinho, but it would be difficult to play both Ozil and Coutinho in a similar position, with Ozil returning to his usual self after impressing Arteta with his performances lately. But Coutinho’s agent is an Iranian businessman named Kia Joorabchian who is a die-hard Arsenal fan. If the Brazilian discovers the need to find a new club in the summer, then the Gunners may well just be one of the clubs Joorabchian looks to sell to.
It has been reported that Arsenal is very much interested in buying Thomas Partey, the Athletico Madrid midfielder, but Diego Simeone is very much reluctant to see him off. But the Gunners are hopeful that they can tempt the Ghanaian.
The Arsenal manager has been observing the 26-year old defensive midfielder recently and was impressed by his performances, especially against Liverpool in the Champions League second leg. He could be the perfect replacement for Lucas Torreira, who has fallen out of favour at the Emirates. He can pounce on the loose ball and has the ability to convert it into a slick counter-attack to drive his team forward in the rare moments. He is considered as one of the best box-to-box midfielders and his ability in the transition to take the ball and build from the back will surely be a big boost at the centre. And a £45 million transfer is something they can afford (Compared to £97 million for Coutinho!). Signing this Ghana international can, in a way, solve the defensive woes associated with this club for a long, long time.
Arsenal will have to spend heavily to resolve their issues when the summer transfer window opens to secure a spot in the top 4 in the Premier League and to establish themselves again as one of the English giants ready to fire cannonballs at any opposition on any given day (The history and way of life is in the logo!).
