Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have identified Valencia’s La Liga talisman Rodrigo Moreno as a potential replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Premier League.
Valencia have made Rodrigo Moreno available for transfer with super-agent Jorge Mendes hoping to take the Arsenal target away from the Mestalla this summer, according to AS.
When a former Bolton Wanderers loanee rocked up on the Castellon coast in the summer of 2014, joining Valencia from Benfica, he might have felt that his spell at the Spanish giants would be a short one.
But if Rodrigo thought of Los Che as something of a stepping stone, a move to a bigger and so-called better club has somehow failed to materialise.
That could change this summer, however, with The Mirror reporting that Arsenal are interested in a now-29-year-old who, despite relentless speculation, never made that mega-money move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.
And it seems that everyone on Valencia’s side are in agreement that Rodrigo’s time at the Mestalla has come to an end.
Mendes, the influential Iberian agent, is hoping to find one of his big-name clients a new club and has encouraged owner Peter Lim to make the Spain international available for transfer. That does not mean a summer move, to the Emirates or elsewhere, is inevitable however.
Lim wants £55 million for his talisman, a fee that may be a little rich for an Arsenal side who look certain to miss out on Champions League riches once again.
Then again, if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette are sold in the off-season, that £55 million price-tag might soon look like small change.
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