Arsenal can seal the signature of Emil Roback for just £1.3 million after the Hammarby striker held talks with the Premier League giants, according to Fotboll Direkt.
Two decades ago, Arsenal allowed another Swedish wonderkid by the name of Zlatan Ibrahimovic slip through their net.
“I went to London for an appointment with (Arsene) Wenger, who asked me to audition for the Gunners. I told him ‘I will not do a trial: either you sign me or not, I’m not here to waste time’,” the PSG, Milan and Inter legend would later tell Sky in his typical soundbite-spitting style.
Fortunately, the quicksilver Roback appears to let his football do the talking.
And it his ability on the pitch that has some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal and Bayern Munich, sending scouts to Sweden.
Hammarby sporting director Jesper Jansson told Fotboll Direkt in May that Roback had travelled to North London to undergo negotiations – claims that were then backed up by club scout Mikael Hjelmberg a matter of weeks ago.
“He has met Arsenal, there is strong interest,” Hjelmberg explains.
Until now, however, there has been little indication about how much the teen sensation could cost.
But new claims from Scandinavia have shed light on his price-tag, suggesting that Hammarby would sell Roback for around £1.3 million.
For that fee, Arsenal should be jumping at the chance to take a punt on a striker who certainly has the raw speed, talent and finishing skills to emulate Gabriel Martinelli at the Emirates.
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