Arsenal’s hopes of signing £43m-rated Cagliari star Nicolo Barella could hinge on them qualifying for the Champions League next season, according to the Mirror.
The report claims that Arsenal manager Unai Emery could be given just a £45million budget for new players in the summer if Arsenal do not make it into the elite European competition.
It claims that Emery could look to sell on some of his under-performing players such as Henrik Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil. And the wage bill will be helped by Petr Czech retiring and Aaron Ramsey moving to Juventus.
The report claims 22-year-old Barella is seen as Ramsey’s replacement but his asking price could be a problem.
OPINION
£45million doesn’t go far in the modern day transfer market and Arsenal might find it tough to find buyers for Mkhitaryan and Ozil, who are on sky-high wages of £180,000-a-week and £350,000-a-week respectively [source: Mirror]. That’s not going to please Arsenal fans who want to see new signings and know the squad isn’t strong enough to challenge for the Premier League. Arsenal still have two realistic shots of Champions League football next season, and certainly there’s more optimism now about this than there was earlier in the season. Chelsea’s big drop-off in form has helped here. Arsenal can the Europa League (tough) or finish in the top-four, and that’s the more likely route at the moment. Arsenal are currently fourth in the Premier League after a run of good results, two points head of Man United in fifth. Man United are in the best form though and there are bound to be more twists and turns between now and the end of the season.