Arsenal have seemingly received a transfer boost as Yannick Carrasco has suggested that he’d be keen on a return to Europe this summer.
The 25-year-old established himself as a top talent with Monaco and Atletico Madrid previously, scoring 43 goals in 228 games for the two European sides.
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However, he opted to make a big change by joining Dalian Yifang last year, and while he has made a decisive impact in China, there are undoubtedly knock-on effects from such a decision.
Carrasco has 31 caps for Belgium to his name, and with his place in Roberto Martinez’s plans now under threat, he has suggested that he could be considering a return to Europe sooner rather than later.
As noted by The Sun, Arsenal reportedly wanted to sign Carrasco in January, but evidently that didn’t materialise and so it’s now suggested that based on his comments below, it could give them fresh hope of striking a deal this summer.
“I would love to return to Europe. A lot of clubs were interested in me,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun. “We tried to find a solution in January that would enable me to leave Dalian Yifang.
“But I can understand the club’s thinking. They wanted me to stay. I still feel OK in China. But I have lost my starting place in the Belgian national side.
“This can happen with a team of their quality. With the level of competition there will always be times when you don’t get to play a lot.”
Man Utd and AC Milan are also specifically mentioned as interested parties, and so it remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal move quickly to put themselves at the front of the queue to potentially sign the Belgian international this summer.
While Unai Emery does have plenty of attacking quality at his disposal at the Emirates, it could be argued that Carrasco would add a different dynamic in the final third, offering genuine width and creativity to complement the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette playing through the middle.
