Arsenal are back in the hunt to cover up the possible mess that could spoil their season. Nabil Fekir of Lyon is reportedly Arsène Wenger’s top transfer target as Wenger is ready to make a bid to fill the void that could be possibly left open by the seemingly plausible departures of Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil.
The Gunners value him at £60 million, a price tag reasonable enough given the inflation of the market in recent times. A move to the Emirates could see Fekir form a partnership with his ex-Lyon partner, Alexander Lacazette.
The Sanchez and Özil saga has been quite the matter of discussion for some time now and the contract extensions for both these stalwarts seem to be heading towards a dead end. As a result, Arsenal are restricted in their actions and are presumably ready to offload their stars in January to salvage any amount of money that comes in from their sale. As their contracts are just half a year away from expiring, prospective buyers’ valuation would be considerately low in comparison to the status and quality of both players.
However, Wenger needs to act quickly upon the situation if he aspires to direct Arsenal to a reasonable campaign. He has identified Nabil Fekir as a possible reinforcement, not just for the players’ quality but also given his connection with Arsenal’s recent arrival Lacazette. The two had a combined tally of 40 goals and 19 assists in the 2014-15 campaign.
A special pair was in the making but the dream was shortlived as Fekir torn his knee ligaments the following season. Despite the difficulty, he is back to his best and has registered 13 goals and 4 assists already this campaign.
The fellow Frenchman would walk straight into Arsenal’s first team. The Gunners front-line could be possible tagged as the “French runners” if Fekir makes the move to team up with his countrymen Lacazette and Giroud. It is a truly exciting prospect for the Arsenal faithful knowing that their strikers will have a good connection with each other, something that they are dearly missing out on.
The deal, nonetheless, will a difficult one to pull off this time around. Considering Lyon’s position in all the three competitions they are participating in, Bruno Génésio will be an excited manager to mount a serious title challenge in Ligue 1 and progress as far as possible in the Europa League. The foundation has been laid for Lyon to go on and create a special season and the last thing they will need is a key player like Fekir to leave the side in January.
