Arsenal have reportedly settled on Jan Oblak as the long-term replacement for Petr Cech at the Emirates Stadium, although his price-tag will be an issue.
The Slovenian international had big boots to fill in the Spanish capital, with the likes of David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois previously established themselves between the posts for Atleti.
However, he has developed into one of the finest goalkeepers in Europe under Diego Simeone, and in turn it’s no surprise to see him linked with other European giants.
According to Goal, Arsene Wenger is a big admirer of the shot-stopper and has made several approaches to Atletico over a transfer but has been unsuccessful to this point.
Nevertheless, that hasn’t dampened his interest as they continue to be linked with a move, although the report goes on to state that the €100m release clause in his contract will obviously be a major stumbling block.
Given that the 23-year-old is a mainstay in the team at Atleti and has continued to improve and mature into a top goalkeeper under Simeone, there seems to be little reason for him to want to leave.
It’s added in the report that he will assess his options at the end of the season, but it will take a special offer from Arsenal to prise him away from the Vicente Calderon Stadium as a €100m release clause for a shot-stopper would be seen as a new extreme in the transfer market.
While it’s unlikely that Arsenal would have pay that level of fee, it would still take a sizeable one to sign Oblak. What that would mean for David Ospina and Emiliano Martinez too must come into consideration, while Cech has proven so far this season that he still has plenty left in the tank.
As a result, this doesn’t seem like a more immediate priority for Wenger, but it will be interesting to see if they make a bid and what it would take for Atleti to consider a sale.