Arsenal will have bid rejected after putting £75m ‘on the table’ for ex-Premier League star
Arsenal are set to have their bid for Barcelona winger Raphinha rejected amid his brilliant form in La Liga, according to reports.
The Gunners have taken a dip in recent weeks with Mikel Arteta’s side only picking up two points in their last four Premier League matches.
That has seen Arsenal drop down to fourth in the Premier League table, below Chelsea, with the Gunners now nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool and four behind defending champions Manchester City.
Their poor run of form initially coincided with William Saliba being sent off for the first time in his Premier League career on the road at Bournemouth.
In their last four league matches, Arsenal lost that match against the Cherries 2-0, drew 2-2 against Premier League leaders Liverpool, were defeated 1-0 at Newcastle and were held to a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in their last fixture.
Six sides have a better attack in the Premier League than Arsenal so far this season and now Arteta is keen to strengthen that area of his side in the January transfer market.
A report over the weekend claimed that Arsenal had put a €90m (£75m) offer ‘on the table’ at Barcelona for their Brazilian winger Raphinha.
Raphinha has been in brilliant form this campaign for the Catalan giants with 12 goals and eight assists in 17 matches in all competitions.
And now a report in Spain claims that Barcelona ‘will not accept’ the offer from Arsenal for Raphinha with the Gunners ‘planning to launch a strong offensive’ in the winter window.
Barcelona ‘do not seem willing to part with one of their greatest talents for less than 100 million euros’ and the La Liga club ‘considers Raphinha a fundamental pillar in its sporting project, and any move will entail a significant outlay on the part of the Gunners’.
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One player Emmanuel Petit thinks Arsenal should sign is former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba but admitted that “it’s a gamble”.
Petit told Instant Casino: “I did mention that Paul Pogba would be a good option for Arsenal, but it’s a gamble. It’s a coin toss. The last game he played was last September, 14 months ago. He cannot prepare himself with his teammates because he’s not allowed to do so. He has to train by himself every single day with a physio.
“It’s not the same. You’re missing the game, you’re missing the movement, you’re missing the tactics. It will take months to get the best out of Paul Pogba.
“It’s a gamble and on top of it he’s 32 years-old but you can argue that mentally he will come back strongly. He wants to prove that he’s not finished yet. What happened to him for the last 2-3 seasons was a nightmare outside the pitch.
“Everybody understood why he was not present on the pitch. I know that he’s living with a kind of revenge. He wants to pay back something; he wants to clean his name as well.
“It’s really important that he picks the right club next, and that club will be getting a player with so much desire. It’s a huge decision for Paul. It’s probably the most important decision he will ever make in his career.
“But at 32 years old, what’s the club’s risk in taking him? He won’t get a lot of money because of what happened in the last two or three seasons. He will probably get a decent contract, but with a clause saying that if he can reach a certain amount of games, he can get a raise.
“I’m not sure big clubs like Arsenal actually have the guts to sign a player like Pogba. Remember what happened with some top players that join Arsenal, most of them have been a failure.
“I’m not sure as well that signing Paul Pogba fits with the philosophy of Arsenal actually, especially after Edu walked out. It’s a gamble, but I’m not sure that Arsenal will take it. I’m pretty sure that some French clubs will be very interested in him.”
