Emirates Stadium side target talented young duo.
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Arsenal are lining up efforts to bring in a pair of talented young Dutch internationals as Arsene Wenger looks to invest heavily in strengthening his Gunners squad.
Though the Arsenal boss has been linked with a myriad of big name targets efforts to complete deals to sign players who cost in excess of the North London club’s transfer record have failed to materalise and this has led Wenger to re-think his summer transfer strategy.
CaughtOffside understands that Arsenal have been scouting Feyenoord pair Stefan de Vrij and Jordy Clasie for the best part of a year and now the Premier League side is looking to step up efforts to bring in the duo and are willing to offer up to €25m (£21.5m) knowing full well that there are a number of other interested parties tracking the two Dutchmen.
Wenger is keen to add some much needed steel to his midfield and has earmarked a move for pint sized battler Clasie, who was a virtual ever present at the De Kuip and is now a regular in Louis van Gaal’s national team set-up.
The terrier like midfielder has impressed since moving to Feyenoord from nearby Exclesior and could well feel the time is right to consider the all to inevitable move from the Eredivisie to one of Europe’s ‘Big Leagues’.
The 22 year old battler possesses the abilities of a defensive midfielder able to get stuck in but is also very comfortable on the ball and is an excellent distributor of the ball and Clasie will be more than aware that a move to the Premier League could well assist in his push for an even more prominent role in the Dutch national team set-up, all the more relevant with the 2014 World Cup finals less than a year away.
Arsene Wenger is also keen on strengthening his defence and has set his sights on bringing in an experienced centre-back to challenge first choice central defensive pair Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, but having been told to fork out a seemingly inflated price for his number one target, Swansea City defender, Ashley Williams, the Gunners boss is ready to return to his tried and tested method of bringing in a young talent with massive potential.
With this in mind Wenger has target Feyenoord captain De Vrij who has been a sterling presence at the centre of the club’s defence for the past four seasons. The 21 year old already has over 100 appearances for De club aan de Maas and has been linked with a number of Europe’s ‘Elite’.
Ronaldo Koeman would be loathed to lose his leader but may not stand in the way of either of the young talents Arsenal have targeted, knowing that a move to Arsenal would be a sensible path to continued career progression, not least as Arsene Wenger is famed for trusting to youth.
Feyenoord failed to secure a Champions League berth and could therefore feel the necessity to cash in on a player or two this summer and if either Clasie or De Vrij push for a summer exit then there is every chance the Dutch side will seek to cash in on their young talents in preference to holding them back.