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Arsenal have opted to not exercise the first option they had written into Cesc Fabregas’s Barcelona contract but are still hot on the heels of his Nou Camp team-mate Pedro.
CaughtOffside understands that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keen to bring in adaptable attacker Pedro, who could be set to become another of the Catalan giant’s first team stars sold this summer as new manager Luis Enrique and president Josep Maria Bartomeu look to conduct a major overhaul of the club’s squad.
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The 26 year old battled Alexis Sanchez and Neymar for a supporting spot alongside Lionel Messi last season and is a player who perhaps doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves at Barcelona and may be open to a fresh challenge if he is not guaranteed a regular first team starting spot under Enrique.
Wenger wants to strengthen his attack and is known to be an admirer of the Tenerife born Spanish international who can play either as a winger or in a central striking role and is ready to table a €30m (£24m) for the Barcelona man.
Arsenal overly relied upon Olivier Giroud last term and injury lay-offs for both Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, who managed just 23 Premier League starts between them, exacerbating the paucity of options in Wenger’s squad.
Though the north London club are keen on signing a right-back to replace Bacary Sagna as well as a central midfielder Arsene Wenger also sees that lack of effective goal-scoring options up front as a real area of concern.
Pedro has completed eight seasons in Barcelona’s first team set-up and has scored 87 goals in 268 appearances for the La Liga side.