Reports in yesterday’s Manchester Evening News claimed that Arsenal are ready to offer Manchester United an astonishing sum of £12m to tempt them into selling England international defender Chris Smalling.
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The 25-year-old has only made 18 Premier League appearances so far this season, and is far from guaranteed his spot in Louis van Gaal’s side next season – with the Red Devils boss likely to strengthen in the upcoming summer window.
However, the original story suggests that the Dutchman is ready to decline the offer and keep hold of the player.
With Arsenal looking likely to pursue defensive reinforcements, we’ve come up with five viable alternatives to pursuing a deal for Smalling…
5) Virgil van Dijk (Celtic)
The Celtic defender has been linked with Arsenal in the past, most recently ahead of the January transfer window, when he was tipped for a move by talkSPORT. The 23-year-old has been an integral part of the Scottish side since he joined them in 2013, and was the club’s Players’ Player of the Year last season. A Dutch youth team international with bags of potential, he’d be a good back-up option for the Gunners.
