Arsenal are planning a January move for Barcelona star Raphinha, who is valued at £88 million after Chelsea hijacked Mykhailo Mudryk’s deal.
After failing to sign Mykhailo Mudryk, who was recently acquired by London rivals Chelsea, the Gunners are searching for alternatives.
With only two weeks left in the January transfer window, Arsenal sporting director Edu has gotten in touch with Raphinha’s agency in an effort to seal a transaction that would strengthen their chances of winning the Premier League.
However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reportedly set an £88 million (€100 million) asking price for the midfielder, according to the Spanish daily Sport.
The Brazilian winger turned down a transfer to the Emirates and instead chose to move to the Camp Nou when Arsenal previously sought to sign him in the summer.
Arsenal may be turned off by his asking price after they turned down three offers to sign Mudryk for a similar fee.
Paul Merson, a club legend and former Gunners player, has cautioned the team against signing Raphinha.
If they violate their salary structure and end up paying him more than the other players, he feels that it could spoil the remainder of Arsenal’s season.
He complained that: “He (Mudryk) is probably getting more money at Chelsea. If Arsenal then go, ‘wait a minute, we’ll give you those wages,’ how do you think all the players will react? It’s a happy dressing room at the moment, and if you give another player £200k or £300k, it gets around the dressing room – players start getting unsettled.”
“And you’re better off not rocking the boat. These chances (to win the league) don’t come around too often and you’ve got to seize the moment. You don’t want to ruin it.”
Mikel Arteta’s team are eight points clear at the top of the table following their North London derby triumph yesterday and are pushing to seal their first league title in 19 years.
Raphinha’s signing would be a statement, but it might end up costing Arsenal money in the long run.
Arsenal Transfer News
With a 2-0 victory over Spurs, the Gunners secured their 15th Premier League victory in 18 games.
While things on the field continue to go well, Arsenal’s January transfer ambitions took a significant hit when Chelsea finalized the signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Prior to introducing him on the field at halftime in their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, the Blues announced the £88 million signing.
Over the upcoming few weeks, Arsenal has noted some alternatives to replace the Ukrainian that was lost to Chelsea on Sunday.
Leandro Trossard of Brighton will undoubtedly be one of the players Arsenal are after, while Rafael Leao of AC Milan’s status may be reviewed and there are rumors of a move for Raphinha of Barcelona.
City rivals Tottenham and Arsenal are prepared to square off against one another once more by competing for Brighton winger Leandro Trossard, who is up for transfer.
According to CMW, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have decided to use the funds they were planning to spend on Mykhailo Mudryk before the winger joined Graham Potter’s Chelsea to launch a January transfer bid for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
According to the report in the Italian news outlet, Arsenal intends to make a €80 million (£71 million) bid to Juventus in order to sign striker Vlahovic and bring him to the Emirates Stadium this month.
The 22-year-old Ukrainian international moved to London and Premier League rivals Chelsea after Arsenal had three bids for the winger rejected.
