Arsenal could pull out of race for Berta favourite over ‘red flags’ with Man Utd less concerned
Arsenal could end their interest in signing Wolves forward Matheus Cunha over an incident which raised “red flags” for the Gunners, according to reports.
The Gunners have had a frustrating season in the Premier League with Liverpool moving ahead of them to take on Manchester City’s throne as the team to beat.
After two seasons of finishing runners-up to Pep Guardiola’s side, Arsenal couldn’t take advantage of their drop off as Arne Slot’s men filled the gap at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool are currently 13 points ahead of Arsenal with the Reds needing just two more wins from their final six matches to win the Premier League title.
But the Gunners have eased that pain by producing impressive performances in the Champions League to move past Real Madrid and into the semi-finals, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.
One part of Mikel Arteta’s line-up that has been criticised throughout the season is their forward area with Arsenal relying upon Kai Havertz as their central striker.
There were always claims that Arsenal needed to bring in a world-class centre-forward to achieve their goals but season-ending injuries to Havertz and Gabriel Jesus really highlighted their lack of options.
Mikel Merino has been doing a great job as a makeshift striker but now Arsenal are looking for a new centre-forward to take them to another level in the summer.
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One option of interest is Wolves forward Cunha – who has contributed 14 goals and four assists in 27 Premier League matches this term – with a report earlier this month insisting that new Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta has put them in ‘pole position’ for the Brazilian.
However, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey insists that Arsenal and Premier League rivals Liverpool have seen “red flags” in his behaviour this season and are beginning to doubt signing him – but Man Utd don’t seem quite as bothered.
Bailey told TBR Football: “My understanding on him is that his actions this season on and off the pitch, with what happened in that game against Bournemouth, have seen Arsenal and Liverpool in particular raise red flags with what he did.
“If he does what he did in an Arsenal, Liverpool or Man United shirt, he’s going to get a longer ban and you can’t be doing that. When you’re dealing with someone worth over £60 million, do you want someone who has red flags attached? Premier League clubs don’t tend to do that and it could impact on him.”
