‘No-brainer’: Groves hails reported Arsenal target, but wants his £110k-a-week contract halved

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Premier League giants Arsenal have been tipped to snare Adam Lallana away from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool – will he swap Anfield for the Emirates?

Arsenal legend Perry Groves says The Gunners’ potential move for Liverpool star Adam Lallana is a no-brainer – if the veteran midfielder can stay fit, that is (talkSPORT).

With the 31-year-old England international set to become a free agent at the end of the season, his six year spell at Anfield looks set to end with the glory of a Premier League title triumph.

Lallana has put his recent injury problems behind him to enjoy one of his best seasons yet for the Merseyside giants, making 19 appearances in all competitions while being reinvented by Jurgen Klopp as a deep-lying playmaker.

The Express reports that Arsenal are one of a number of clubs ready to take a punt on the Champions League winner in the off-season, alongside Leicester, Tottenham and former employers Southampton.

Groves has no doubts about Lallana’s ability but it’s his injury record which gives a Gunners hero reason for concern.

“If you could guarantee that his body will stand up, then it’s a no-brainer,” said a man who played over 150 games for Arsenal between 1986 to 1992, speaking to Jim White (21 February, 10am).

“In 2016/17, he was one of Liverpool’s main players and one of England’s main players. It’s all been hamstring and groin injuries; he’s missed 216 days through injury.”

Groves, who points out that Jack Wilshere has played more Premier League games in recent seasons than Lallana, believes that it would make sense to offer him an incentivised contract initially worth just 50 per cent of his current £110,000-a-week wages.

“He can play as a (number) ten, he can drift, his balance his great – but its if his body stands up.”

Lallana could potentially add some valuable experience, and a winning mentality, to a youthful Arsenal dressing room while helping Mikel Arteta to bring free-flowing passing football back to North London.