Arsenals top brass are plotting to raid Sevilla for midfield veteran Ever Banega as manager Unai Emery looks to seal a reunion with his former star, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claim that the 5’8″ (source: Transfermarkt) 30-year-old has been identified by the Gunners as their top target heading into the January window and with an eight-figure release clause of £18million are readying to launch a move.
Banega, who has 65 caps under his belt for Argentina, already has 10 appearances to his name for Sevilla this season and has played at clubs such as Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid during his career.
Good move for Arsenal?
This is a strange one considering the amount of midfield options already at the Emirates Stadium, not least summer arrival Lucas Torreira.
With the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka, Mohammed Elneny and Matteo Guendouzi also battling out for a role in the first team, it is difficult to see where Banega would fit in.
At 30 he is an experienced head, which could well be the Gunners’ thinking behind such a swoop, but really it should only go ahead if one of the other names departs north London – and making that decision is a tough task.
A fee of £18million seems pretty reasonable but at the same time there is no guarantee he is going to be at the top of his game for much longer, and so it could be a risky spend when other talents are out there.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10
Likely to happen?
It seems as though Emery has the full backing of the Arsenal board when it comes to capturing a reunion with his former midfielder, and that release clause in his contract makes things a lot easier for the Gunners.
Sevilla will not want to let him leave without a fight but really they have little choice if Arsenal want to splash the cash on his signature.
It is by no means a guarantee that this is going to happen, but all the signs point to Emery getting what he wants.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10