Gunners will have to pay up for Colombian starlet.
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Arsenal have been told that they will have to pay Poto the full £32m release clause for their exciting Colombian starlet Juan Fernando Quintero, according to the Daily Express.
The Gunners have been strongly linked with a move for the 21-year-old, whose fine performances in the Portuguese top flight and for the Colombian national team at this summer’s World Cup have attracted the attention of Arsene Wenger.
Quintero was one of many members of his national squad to impress, with James Rodriguez’s displays in Brazil earning him a move from AS Monaco to Real Madrid, while Arsenal have already signed goalkeeper David Ospina following his form at the tournament.
It had been claimed by some sources that a £16m deal was close to being finalised, but it still seems that a fee is yet to be agreed, with Porto likely to insist that he won’t leave for less than his buyout clause of £32m.
Although the north London giants are already well stocked in the attacking midfield department, it could be that Quintero is being targeted with the possibility that Santi Cazorla will leave the club being kept in mind, with the Spaniard emerging as a top target for Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal have also been linked on several occasions with Quintero’s club and international team-mate Jackson Martinez, while Porto in general have struggled for years to keep hold of their best players when bigger clubs have come calling.