Arsenal are reportedly lining up a summer move for Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka, although he’ll cost £21m to prise away from the Bundesliga club.
The 22-year-old will see his contract with Schalke expire next summer, and it’s been suggested that they could look to sell him at the end of this season in order to avoid losing him for nothing.
As per Bild, this seems like a genuine possibility, although it won’t be cheap for the Gunners as they will seemingly have to splash out £21m to prise him away and then face competition from Juventus.
Goretzka is regarded as one of Schalke’s top talents, and with six goals and three assists in 33 appearances in all competitions, coupled with what he brings to the side in general, he has certainly established himself as one of the team’s pivotal figures.
Further, his versatility makes him a stand-out option too as he can play in a number of roles and that will be crucial to Wenger as there is a lack of genuine flexibility in his current midfield options.
Nevertheless, this could be seen as one of the first significant moves that Arsenal make this summer as they come under intense pressure from their own supporters to change the course of the club.
As they look to fight it out for a top-four finish again this season, Wenger will see his contract expire this summer while both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are entering the final 14 months of their respective deals.
With so many question marks hanging over the club it has led to troubles on and off the pitch, and it has been widely acknowledged that the north London giants are going to have to show their ambition in this summer’s transfer market or the unrest will merely continue to build and their star players could start to leave.