Emirates Stadium side set sights on top quality addition.
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Arsenal will make a €11.5m (£9.9m) bid to sign Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes according to Italian source TuttoMercato.
Arsene Wenger has set his sights on the Spanish international keeper, who has stated publicly that he wishes to leave the Nou Camp and has made it clear he will not sign a new contract.
Given that Valdes’s current deal ends in the summer of 2014 it seems entirely plausible that Barcelona will look to sell the 31 year old at the end of the current campaign to avoid losing the player on a free transfer a year later.
Wenger will not have been impressed with the form shown by first choice keeper Wojciech Szczesny this season and could well look to bring in an experienced custodian. Arsenal’s defence have been shaky all season and that may be down in no small part to the back-line not having all that much faith in the young Polish international.
Valdes is a player with immense experience and could be available for a relatively inexpensive fee given his desire to leave and the length of time on his current contract.
The Catalan born goalie is into his 11th season in the Barcelona first team and has racked up 491 appearances, collecting a host of honours in that period including five La Liga titles and three Champions League triumphs.