Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are big fans of Nabil Fekir – but the Real Betis playmaker won’t be Premier League bound unless his price-tag is reduced.
Arsenal have enquired about Nabil Fekir but they are unwilling to meet Real Betis’s £44 million price-tag, according to AS.
With Mesut Ozil still a loping shadow of the playmaker who once tore defences apart like wet tissue paper, The Gunners desperately need a new creative kingpin if they are to add some much-needed guile to the grit they have displayed in spades since the appointment of Mikel Arteta.
And there are few better candidates than Fekir, an inverted winger with an eye for a game-changing contribution. With seven goals and six assists, plus Man of the Match performances against Barcelona and Real Madrid, the French World Cup winner has been the stand-out figure in a Betis side which has flattered to deceive this season.
But after putting those well-documented injury problems behind him, a man who came so close to joining Liverpool two years ago could finally be on his way to England. Arsenal have expressed an interest, AS reports.
Though there are a few obstacles to overcome.
Arsenal’s funds have been restricted by their ongoing absence from the Champions League stage, while the ongoing global health crisis is likely to see Arteta’s warchest shrink even further. No wonder, then, that they cannot afford to meet Real Betis’s £44 million demands for one of La Liga’s top performers.
Of course, Arsenal could sell the likes of Alexandre Lacazette or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to fund a deal. But then, who would Fekir be providing the ammunition for?
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