Record-breaking deal in the works for Arsenal.Arsenal are lining up a sensational deal to sign Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba next summer in a move that would see them smash their club transfer record.
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Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is a long-time admirer of the 21-year-old Frenchman, who is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world at the moment after a superb couple of years in Turin.
Having previously failed to make the grade at Manchester United, Pogba has flourished since his free transfer to Juventus in 2012, and is now considered hot property as the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain show a strong interest in signing him, while United are also hopeful of bringing him back to Old Trafford one day.
However, in a surprise turn of events, Arsenal are now said to be preparing a mammoth transfer package to bring Pogba to the Emirates Stadium in a £60m deal next summer, in a move that would see him move ahead of £42.5m man Mesut Ozil as the most expensive signing in their history.
Wenger is keen to improve on his current midfield options, with Mikel Arteta ageing and others such as Mathieu Flamini and Jack Wilshere not looking convincing in a deep-lying role for his side.
After years of working on a shoestring budget and signing mostly unproven young players or others’ unwanted squad members, the north Londoners have made a major change in direction in the transfer market in the last couple of years with deals for Ozil and the £35m purchase of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona this summer.
The club are still keen to work within their means, and will fund their bid for Pogba through a number of player sales, with the likes of Joel Campbell and Lukas Podolski likely to be involved, with the latter having been linked with Juve on a few occasions towards the end of this summer.
Juventus themselves are said to be working on a deal to sign Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata this January, and may already be preparing themselves for Pogba’s exit with this big-money deal.
SEE ALSO: Pogba features in top 20 best young footballers.