Arsenal reportedly tried and failed to bring Belgian winger Carrasco to the Premier League in January but is Unai Emery still interested?
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco has admitted that Arsenal did want to sign him in January before making it clear to the Sun that he would welcome a move to the Premier League during the summer transfer window.
The highly-rated winger has been made to pay for following the money in February 2018, when he swapped Atletico Madrid for Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Yifang for a fee of £26 million according to NewsX.
Carrasco has dropped off the radar as a result, losing his place in the Belgian national team. And the former Monaco star is desperate to secure a move to one of Europe’s top leagues before it is too late.
According to the Express, Arsenal were keen to bring the versatile winger to The Emirates in January but they failed to agree a loan deal. Carrasco, meanwhile, would need to accept a big pay cut on his £8.8 million a year wages.
But, speaking to The Sun, the 25-year-old does not sound like a man who is keen to stay in China.
“There was interest from Arsenal and I had a lot of teams in January giving me the chance to go back to Europe, but here the president said it was difficult to go then,” Carrasco said.
“Maybe this summer it is possible.
“All the people know England is one of the best championships in the world, it’s a big competition. Sometimes when you play in other countries you do not have a lot of space but in England it is open, the play is up and down the pitch. That would suit me.”
Arsenal fans might be concerned about the prospect of signing a player from the Chinese Super League but, as Carrasco has pointed out, the likes of Paulinho and Axel Witsel shone at Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund after spending a number of years in Asia.
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