‘Interfering’ Arsenal stun Real Madrid by telling them summer deal is ‘practically finalised’
Arsenal have shocked La Liga giants Real Madrid by informing them that they have ‘practically finalised’ a deal for one of their top targets, according to reports.
The Gunners are set to finish as Premier League runners-up for a third season in a row after Liverpool secured the title on Sunday with a 5-1 win over Tottenham.
Arsenal have been some way off the Reds for most of the second half of the campaign but they have been cheered up recently by their success in the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta’s side produced two brilliant performances to beat Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to line up a Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, with the first leg coming up on Tuesday.
Their impressive displays against Real Madrid – who lost their heads in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday – will only have served to enhance their reputation among players.
And Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta are already looking ahead to the summer transfer window with one deal seemingly already taken care of.
Spanish publication Cadena Ser claim that the Premier League and Arsenal are once again ‘interfering’ with Real Madrid’s transfer ‘plans’ by going for a player on Los Blancos’ ‘agenda’.
The report adds:
‘The midfielder’s future is far from the blue and white team for next season, and the Whites want him to lead their engine room.
‘However, Arsenal have the same intentions with the San Sebastian player and made this known to the Merengues at the board meeting prior to the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, where they confirmed that the signing would be “practically finalised” for next season.’
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Arsenal boss Arteta recently promised another “big summer” in the transfer market
“The way we planned the five first summers, they were going to be very big and they were going to have different objectives because the turnaround of players and the objective of those windows was going to be different.
“But now when you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad but as well we want to increase the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. It’s going to be a big one and we are very excited about it.”
On the expected impact of Berta on summer transfers, Arteta added: “What I’m very confident about is how he’s going to make everybody better. Because the way he is, the personality he has, how passionate he has and what he does – that’s what we need.
“We need new blood with people that are so ambitious that they are so attached to the football club and what we already do but want to add value.”
