Arsenal have reportedly identified a replacement for Santi Cazorla.
The Gunners are reportedly targeting Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic as a long-term replacement for Santi Cazorla, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claim that Arsene Wenger has already made a telephone call to the Bosnian, and asked him if he wants to join Arsenal.
Cazorla, 32, has been out injured since October, and his absence has proven just how much Wenger’s side relies upon the little Spaniard.
Pjanic in action for Juventus
And the Sun reports that Wenger sees the 26-year-old Juve midfielder as an ideal replacement for Cazorla, and is ready to submit a £28 million bid for the player.
On the face of it, it is hard to imagine the Turin outfit selling Pjanic, having only just brought him into the club in the summer, for a fee similar to the one the Sun are suggesting that Arsenal will bid for his services.
Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla
Another question that has to be raised regarding the report, is that why would Wenger be replacing a deep-lying playmaker, who is so technically gifted, with a more forward thinking, goalscoring midfielder?
Whilst Pjanic, is a fantastic footballer, and would arguably improve the Arsenal squad, he is in no way a like-for-like replacement for Cazorla, and should not be top of Wenger’s priority list.
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