Arsenal could be set to land a Spanish wonderkid in January to bolster their squad – and he might come at a bargain price.
The Gunners were interested in adding a winger towards the end of the transfer window. Pedro Neto and Mykhaylo Mudryk were both touted as potential options but with an injury crisis in the centre of midfield, manager Mikel Arteta and director Edu Gaspar turned attentions to Aston Villa No.6 Douglas Luiz on Deadline Day.
Luiz remained at Villa Park in the end, while reports indicated that both Neto and Mudryk would have been beyond the north Londoners' budget for what would have essentially been a squad player.
Now, Arsenal are turning to more cost-effective options and one that has interested the Emirates outfit is Villarreal starlet Alejandro "Alex" Baena.
Spanish outlet Sport have claimed that Arteta is a fan of the Andalucian wide-man, after an impressive start to the season under former Gunners boss, Unai Emery. Baena has been compared favourably to Philippe Coutinho in his style of play and already tops the scoring board for the Yellow Submarine.
Baena's release clause sits at around £30 million, making him considerably cheaper than either Neto or Mudryk – not to mention his £42m-rated team-mate Yeremi Pino, who Arsenal have also registered an interest in, according to football.london.
Baena primarily plays on the left-wing for Villarreal, is right-footed and has a sharp turn of pace. Last season on loan at Girona, he found himself drifting into the penalty area to finish off chances but is also more than capable of creating opportunities himself.
Villarreal are thought to want to extend the contract of the 21-year-old, with the Gunners not the only club interested in a deal. Liverpool are said to be interested too, while Fichajes have confirmed Manchester City's interest but claim that the champions aren't likely to make a bid.
Baena is valued at around £9m by Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal were looking for a “mystery winger” to complete their squad, while a midfielder was also been touted.
After Nicolas Pepe left the Gunners for more minutes on loan at Nice, manager Mikel Arteta declared a desire to “add firepower”, though he could not guarantee a new player will come in. The Gunners still have interest in Pedro Neto, as well as a Ukrainian wonderkid.
Mohamed Elneny’s injury means that midfield is a little weak right now. FFT reported months ago that personal terms with Youri Tielemans were agreed, with the north Londoners just needing to agree a fee with Leicester: one obstacle remained on Deadline Day. In other news, Bukayo Saka has hinted that he’s close to extending his contract.
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