According to Foot Mercato, former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has made it a priority to sign Matteo Guendouzi this summer.
The Spaniard was appointed as the manager of Villarreal two weeks ago, and he has his sights set on improving the squad. Former Gunner Santi Cazorla has left the club and Emery is looking for a replacement in central midfield.
Guendouzi thrived under Emery at Arsenal after joining the Gunners from Ligue 2 side Lorient as a teenager. The Frenchman played 66 times under the former Gunners boss, but his luck hasn’t quite been the same under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal’s current boss is far from impressed by Guendouzi’s attitude. The young midfielder hasn’t played a minute since his altercation with Neal Maupay in the Gunners’ league defeat at Brighton in June.
Both Guendouzi and Arsenal want to go separate ways this summer and Emery could well help his former club get rid of the talented young French midfielder in the coming weeks.
Good move for Guendouzi but Arsenal might not agree
The report claims that signing Guendouzi is Emery’s priority this summer, and that he has even called the Frenchman to convince him to make the switch to Spain this summer.
However, Villarreal’s terms might not be favourable to Arsenal. The Gunners want £40 million for Guendouzi this summer, (The Times) but the La Liga outfit want him for an initial loan deal with an option to buy him next season.
Arsenal, despite winning the FA Cup and making it into the Europa League next season, are in need of cash. Guendouzi was expected to be their major sale this summer which would mean that the Gunners will not entertain a loan offer.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the coming weeks. A reunion with Emery would be brilliant for Guendouzi but Villarreal will need to be extremely ambitious to convince Arsenal to let him join them this summer.
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