The striker would cost £7 million and would get Champions League football if he moved to the Emirates.
In the past week Arsenal have been linked with a number of big money swoops for strikers.
Midweek we had Fernando Llorente at £29 million, Olivier Giroud for £10 million plus Chamakh, and on Thursday Seydou Doumbia for £26 million.
Arsenal fans will know by now that splashing the cash is not Arsene Wenger’s style.
The Giroud deal sounds plausible, but the Llorente and Doumbia are simply fanciful.
Take Part In Our Euro 2012 Predictor Competition – Free Entry, £4,000 Prize Fund
Sure, it is right to speculate over who Wenger could sign if Van Persie leaves, but even if he did – whether Wenger would go and spend £20 million plus on an individual goalscorer would remain a case of ‘seeing is believing.’
There is one striker plying his trade in the North-East of England, reportedly open to a move and available at a knock down price.
Demba Ba, scorer of 16 goals this season for Newcastle United, is the man in question.
His release clause allows him to be bought for just £7 million, and at that price he would be an absolute bargain, but reports yesterday claim the clause expires on July 31.
Ba has been reported as interesting Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea over the past few months, but we just wonder whether he may appeal to Arsene Wenger.
The French manager would not have to worry about being outbid by his rivals, as the price tag would stay the same. Clearly Arsenal would not be able to compete with wages offered by Chelsea or PSG, but he could offer the Senegal striker a prominent role in the team.
A three man strikeforce of Van Persie, Podolski and Ba would be a lethal one. We have previously stated Arsenal need a third striker, assuming at this point Van Persie stays, should Podolski get injured, the Gunners will be in exactly the same position as last year with no real quality cover for the Dutchman.
Ba’s acquisition, a proven Premier League goalscorer, would surely go some way towards persuading Van Persie that Arsenal are prepared to sign the Premier League’s most in-demand stars and push for trophies, while Ba would get the opportunity to play Champions League football.
A striker acquired for £7 million would still leave funds to strengthen elsewhere, and sign targets like Yann M’Vila and even Jan Vertongthen.
The major drawback, and one counting against a Ba deal, would be African Nations Cup football.
Losing him for one month could be tolerated considering his cheap price tag. Not all fans will be happy with it, but it could be a small price to pay.
What do you think, should Arsenal submit a £7 million bid for Demba Ba?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
