- Arsenal were linked with a £60m move for Nabil Fekir earlier this week
- Barcelona have now reportedly entered the race and have made contact
- Fekir has scored 11 goals in 11 Ligue 1 games this season
- READ MORE: Watch: Why Arsenal are ‘closing in’ on £60m Nabil Fekir signing
Earlier this week, Arsenal made the headlines with transfer speculation linking them with a marquee signing, but it may not last too long.
As reported by The Daily Mail, the Gunners were linked with a £60m swoop for Lyon star Nabil Fekir, as they potentially prepare for life without Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez who will both see their current contracts expire at the end of the season.
However, as seen in the tweet below which shows the front-page of Friday’s edition of Sport, Barcelona have already started initial talks with the 24-year-old as they look to swoop in ahead of the competition and snap up the French star.
Front Cover SPORT | “Contacts Fekir”
• The France international is alternative to Coutinho & Barça already made contacts with the player.
• The player has 11 Goals in 11 Games this season. #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/eiB5PDuZTN— Catalan Edition (@CatalanEdition) November 17, 2017
Fekir has been in impressive form so far this season, scoring 12 goals in 15 appearances in all competitions, while he’s also added three assists, with 11 of those goals coming in 11 league outings.
In turn, there’s certainly been enough evidence of his form this year to suggest that he possesses plenty of talent, but the challenge will be making the step up to a European giant like Barcelona or Arsenal, should a move materialise next year.
Nevertheless, if Arsenal were genuinely interested in the French international, then they’ll have their work cut out for them now with Barca entering the fold, as per the report above.
The Catalan giants have started the season in impressive fashion with Ernesto Valverde making a positive impact in his first year in charge, but ultimately it looks as though they’ll continue to strengthen where possible, especially with their ‘old guard’ needing to be replaced eventually.
The likes of Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are all 30 or over, and while that’s not to suggest that they haven’t got plenty left in the tank, Barca will surely need a long-term plan to soften the blow of eventually losing them with players coming through to carry the load as they reach the peak years of their own careers.