Arsenal revived their hopes for a spot in top four with a dominating win over Tottenham Hotspur in the last match in the Premier League. The Gunners put on an emphatic display as they brushed aside their North London rivals with a comfortable 2-1 win recently.
Inconsistency has been a key reason behind their ups and downs this season and manager Arsene Wenger has tried everything possible to grind out the best from his side.
Wenger is expected to be busy in the January transfer window in a bid to keep his side up there with the Premier League biggies.
According to reports, Arsenal are pretty interested in Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario. The Portuguese midfielder has been put up for sale in the transfer market by the Italian club and he could be on his way towards North London very soon.
Inter splashed in the region of £40m for the midfielder but now are ready to part ways with him for a cut-price fee. The Gunners would be able to avail his services for as much as £26m and looking at the current inflated market, it isn’t a bad deal.
Mario has cut a sorry figure under the tutelage of Luciano Spalletti this season. The former AS Roma boss doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed with his capability on the pitch and the 24-year-old has started just three games this season.
Arsenal are locked in contract negotiations with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. Both are in their last year of contracts and there have been efforts from the club to extend their stay at the Emirates.
But talks haven’t been fruitful so it seems Arsenal might have to lose the players in near future. Mario could prove to be a very shrewd investment. The attacking midfielder has the guile and flair to deal with the competitiveness of the Premier League.
He played a pivotal part as Portugal upset France in their run to the crown in the Euro 2016 last year and with the World Cup looming ahead, he is likely to have more game time in a bid to prepare himself for the football’s biggest extravaganza.
If Arsenal sell either Alexis or Ozil, they could have the money to ramp up this move to bring in the player from Inter Milan and strengthen their midfield to its core. Paris Saint Germain are also looking for his signature so Wenger needs to be a bit active if he really needs the deal to happen.
