Arsenal look as though they’ll face some stern competition if they’re going to land Barcelona star Pedro this summer, with reports in Catalonia claiming that Manchester United are also in the race for the winger.

According to Sport (h/t Metro) the Red Devils, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are all keeping a close eye on the situation regarding the player, meaning any move to the Gunners is not cut and dry. As noted in the piece, reports from Spanish newspaper AS had claimed Arsenal would have to shell out £22 million for Pedro’s signature.

Here’s why he will command such a substantial fee:

Rumours regarding the player’s future are natural given the decline in his squad status since the arrival of Luis Suarez last summer. The Spanish international is very much a deputy at this juncture, with the enticing triumvirate of Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi pushing Barcelona toward glory on three fronts at the moment.

But he’s the player Luis Enrique would most likely call upon should one of the aforementioned trio fall foul of injury or suspension. Given the Camp Nou club wouldn’t be able to draft in a replacement in this window should he be sold, the prospect of cashing in on the player isn’t really a sensible one from Barcelona’s perspective.

As noted by barcastuff, the Blaugrana have an impeccable record when he features too:

For Arsenal, it’s not really a move that would make much sense. The player has a dynamism and an eye for goal that’d enamour him to a host of top clubs, but the Gunners have a surfeit of attacking midfielders in their squad already. To crowd that area of the pitch further—especially if it was at the expense of other areas of the squad—would be especially rapacious on the part of Arsene Wenger.

Indeed, as noted by Bleacher Report’s Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas, it’s very tough to choose a best Gunners XI given the options they currently boast in their squad:

With so many players in situ—especially in the midfield area of this team—perhaps it’s no surprise that some stars have been linked with a move away from the Emirates this summer. But it’d be a major surprise to see Jack Wilshere leave the club, despite reports claiming the 23-year-old is a target for Manchester City.

According to Paul Hetherington of the Daily Star, the champions are looking to bolster their squad with some youthful English talent this summer and see Wilshere as an ideal player to add some class to a much maligned central midfield area.

As noted by Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo after City’s recent 2-1 loss to Liverpool, Manuel Pellegrini has a lot of issues that need resolving at the heart of his team:

But it’s tough to see this one materialising. City need a player who is going to nail down a spot in the team and be at the core of the first XI as they look to build toward a more prosperous future. Wilshere has the requisite class to potentially fill such an important role, but his perennial fitness problems would make him a peculiar acquisition on the part of Pellegrini.

The Arsenal man is a Gunner through and through anyway. You suspect it would be tough to leave his boyhood club, but if these fitness problems persist and others continue to flourish in the Emirates engine room, then Wilshere could find himself on the outside looking in regularly. That’d certainly make the prospect of a potential transfer a lot more likely.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1wQVRSM
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J