Barcelona ‘offer’ Chelsea target Suarez to Arsenal
LONDON: Arsenal ‘have been offered Denis Suarez’ as club weigh up Barcelona midfielder as replacement for outgoing Aaron Ramsey.
The Welshman’s contract is up at the Emirates Stadium in the summer and the club are already looking at their options in replacing him with Suarez a leading contender.
According to the Independent, representatives of the Barcelona man have offered him to top Premier League clubs in a reduced £14 million (RM74 million) deal.
Suarez has privately been told he is surplus to requirements at Barcelona and he is free to leave the club in search of regular firstteam football.
With London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham also retaining an interest in the midfielder, a previous loan spell could give Arsenal the edge.
The 24-year-old playmaker worked with Arsenal boss Unai Emery while on a season-long at Sevilla so the Gunners manager already has a working relationship with the player.
Suarez has left Barcelona in the past when he moved to Villarreal but that move included a buyback clause of £3.1 million — it was triggered after one successful season.
For Arsenal, the decision not to provide Ramsey with a new contract means they are in need of new creative options in the centre of the park as Emery continues to model the side in his vision since taking over from Arsene Wenger.
Meanwhile, Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri is likely to assess the attacking talent on offer in the January transfer window after Alvaro Morata suffered an injury this week.
The Spanish striker was forced out of the Europa League draw at Hungarian club Vidi just before half-time after injuring his knee while shooting and will almost certainly miss Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Brighton today.
His misfortune allowed Olivier Giroud to enter the action and the France international responded with a superb late freekick that secured a 2-2 draw and ensured Chelsea remained unbeaten throughout the group stage as they progressed to the last 32.
Sarri must now decide whether Giroud should start at the Amex Stadium or whether he again employs Eden Hazard in a central role as part of a less physical, more mobile forward line.
Given his frequent tactical changes so far, the Italian does not appear fully convinced that either approach is ideal.
Neither Morata nor Giroud have fully impressed this season. Morata has outscored his rival for the centre-forward role with five league goals to Giroud’s one but has again proved inconsistent, mirroring last season’s form when he was bought as a replacement for Diego Costa.