Arsenal are prepared to battle London rivals Chelsea for the signature of Real Madrid’s Isco Suarez.
At the beginning of July, it was reported [via the Metro] that the Premier League champions had an opening £20m bid rejected for the Spain international – with Rafael Benitez said to be keen on keeping the playmaker at the Santiago Bernabeu.
While speculation on the Blues’ interest has cooled somewhat, the 23-year-old has now, according to the Express, emerged as a target for Arsene Wenger this summer – who reportedly has a £200m kitty available ahead of the 2015-16 campaign [via the Daily Mail].
The British newspaper state that Liverpool and Manchester City are also monitoring Isco.
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It was exclusively reported by Goal in June that the Spaniard was assessing his future in Madrid after growing frustrated at his role with the La Liga BBVA giants. However, Goal claim that new manager Benitez made a personal phone call to the former Malaga star, expressing the player’s importance to his future plans with the club.
Isco, therefore, could prove difficult to prise away from the Spanish capital this summer.
Arsenal have also been linked to the midfielder’s Los Blancos team-mate Karim Benzema.
However, the France striker’s agent stated earlier this week that his client was 1,000% certain to remain with Real for the following season – amid speculation linking the forward to the Emirates Stadium [via the Mirror].
The Gunners, thus, could be set to struggle in attempting to lure talent from Benitez’s side.