According to AS, Arsenal ‘continue to insist’ on signing Real Madrid talent Cesar Gelabert – but four Spanish teams are now in the race.
It’s claimed that the Gunners are presenting him with a ‘tailor-made project’ to succeed in England, with compatriot Mikel Arteta in charge.
However, Arsenal are only interested in a permanent deal. They want to buy Gelabert, and Real aren’t interested in such a move, instead seeking to extend Gelabert’s deal. His current contract expires in 2021.
Real would though like to loan Gelabert out for next season. That’s where four Spanish sides come in; Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Real Zaragoza and Almeria, if they win promotion.
Almeria boss Guti is believed to be a huge fan of Gelabert, having already worked together in the Real youth setup, so that could be an appealing move.
Real have sent Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez to Espanyol in recent times, and Martin Odegaard and Theo Hernandez to Sociedad, putting them in Real’s good books.
It seems unlikely that Arsenal will manage to prise Gelabert away from Real permanently, and a loan doesn’t really make sense for such an unproven player.
Gelabert is just 19, and he has earned huge praise as an exciting playmaker. Yet without a long-term deal in mind, Arsenal shouldn’t go ahead with a move, and it may leave Mikel Arteta going back to the drawing board.
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