Watford are ready to line up a bid for Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs but the £15m price tag might be too heavy for them to make an offer. Arsenal have strictly put a price tag on the player who has been limited to a handful number of matches this season.
The England international will be moving into his final year of his contract and is one of the many players at the Emirates who haven’t been offered the chances to renew their stay. Arsenal recently signed Sead Kolasinac and the arrival of the Serbian player will once again push Gibbs to the forefront of an exit.
A host of clubs with the likes of Brighton and Newcastle are ready to test Arsenal’s resolve with an offer but the £15m price could be a hindrance for the deal. Gibbs has a year left on his current contract and the other clubs think that they can get the player for a much lower fee.
Gibbs was expecting to get an England call up as Danny Rose was injured for a long period but Gareth Southgate preferred Ryan Bertrand and Aaron Creswell over him. Giggs needs to search a club for ample first team football to stay in the contention for a potential England return.
Currently, the player takes home around £60,000 per week and he might have to lower his wage to make himself available for a transfer. The 27-year-old has started only eight Premier League games and is certainly not the preferred choice anymore.
With Arsene Wenger likely to deploy a three men defence in the next season, he would find it hard to make a place available for the player. Nacho Monreal who primarily has played as a left back has been shifted to a more central role off late and has done a fantastic job there.
With World Cup knocking on the door, Gibbs has to involve himself in more football to be in the limelight. Watford somehow survived relegation and they will be looking for more quality reinforcements to do well in the next season. Gibbs still could prove to be a very handy buy for the Hornets who are looking for redemption.
Arsenal are reluctant to lower their price and if they continue to stand still on their point, Gibbs may be forced to honour his full contract. Marco Silva is very well known as he has the knack of deriving the best from fringe players and he could emulate the same with Gibbs.
