Gunners to try swap deal for talented midfield playmaker.
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Following the news that French side Marseille have expressed an interest in Arsenal’s Gervinho, it has emerged that the Gunners will now look to do business in the hope of signing Mathieu Valbuena in return.
Gervinho has flopped since moving to the Emirates Stadium from Ligue 1 side Lille, but is still highly thought of in France and Marseille are one of a few clubs who are keen to sign him this summer.
Lyon have also been tracking the Ivory Coast international, who has only scored 11 goals in two seasons in England, but it is now thought that Arsenal will look to press on with a deal with Marseille, as they are interested in their star player Valbuena.
The 28-year-old is one of the best midfield playmakers in France at the moment, scoring 14 goals and providing 30 assists in the last two seasons, and would fit in nicely in Arsene Wenger’s side’s style of play.
The Gunners boss is hoping that an offer of around £10million as well as Gervinho should be enough to sign Valbuena, though Arsenal are yet to receive a response from Marseille as they ponder the deal.
Marseille finished second in Ligue 1 to PSG this season, and will not want to lose a key player as they hope to maintain their title challenge next year, when they will also be up against the wealth of big-spending Monaco, who have brought in some world class players such as Radamel Falcao and Joao Moutinho already this summer.
However, Valbuena may feel the time has come for him to try a new challenge in a bigger league, after spending the majority of his career with Marseille.
The French international won the Ligue 1 title with the team in 2009/10, but with the emergence of PSG and Monaco it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will manage to repeat this success, and Valbuena is certainly a player that could fit in to most teams in the world.
Although Arsenal are well-stocked in the midfield department, they are said to be keen on bringing in some big names this summer as they will have more cash to spend than usual. They have also been linked with Everton’s Marouane Fellaini and Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye as possible reinforcements in the midfield department.
They have also been linked with several replacements for Gervinho upfront, most notably Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain, who could sign for around £25million.