Arsenal line up ‘surprise signing’ of La Liga star after ‘deal fell through’ in the summer

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Gunners had a positive summer transfer window with Mikel Arteta adding quality to an already good squad after challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title over the past two seasons.

David Raya – who spent last season on loan from Brentford – joined on a permanent deal for £27m, while Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling were also brought in to provide extra support.

Arsenal were also heavily linked to a number of strikers with many pundits and former players claiming that the Gunners need a prolific goalscorer to finally beat Man City to the title.

But it’s another midfielder that Arsenal are now being linked to in the form of Valencia’s Guerra after the Spain Under-21 international’s proposed transfer to Atletico Madrid collapsed in August.

That saw Conor Gallagher move to join Diego Simeone’s side instead after Atletico failed to meet a deadline Valenia imposed on them to get a deal over the line.

And now reports in Spain that Arsenal have ‘taken’ Guerra to the Premier League with Arsenal on the verge of securing a ‘surprise signing’ ahead of the next transfer window.

It is claimed that ‘Mikel Arteta has done it again’ with the Spaniard ‘about to strike again in the LaLiga market’ after bringing Merino from Real Sociedad in the summer.

The arrival of Guerra ‘would fit perfectly into’ their plans and ‘reports from the club’s scouts on the young midfielder have been nothing but positive, and interest has only grown’.

Valencia ‘could be forced to accept an offer if an amount of around 25 million euros arrives, a figure that Arsenal would be willing to put on the table’ and ‘his departure seems inevitable if negotiations progress as expected’.

And Arteta is seen as ‘the perfect man to continue developing the talent’ and ‘everything points to his future being in the Premier League’.

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Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith was impressed by the way sporting director Edu conducted business in the transfer window with the Gunners holding out for large fees for both Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe.

Smith told casinoapps.com: “When you’re trying to sell a 28 or 29-year-old who has seen his best days as a player, and Arsenal have had a few of them, then getting them out of the club for good money is a very difficult task. The likes of Nketiah and Smith-Rowe, they’re at the start of their careers. They’ve been brought up well. They’re clearly talented.

“They want to do well in the game. They’re attractive players, so clubs will pay the money. Fair play to Edu for standing his ground and holding out for the fee the club wanted for Nketiah.

“He could end up getting 20 odd goals for Palace this season, and then you could add £20-30 million to his price tag, but Arsenal will have included a sell-on fee if he were to move on from Palace in the future at a profit.

“Edu has been in the job for a few years now and they knew what they had with those lads. They knew that they were attractive, they were saleable and that’s exactly what they did.”