Reports have linked Arsenal to SL Benfica winger, Andrija Zivkovic after the club’s scouts were seen monitoring the Serbian player in a cup match against Portimonense last night. The rumour of a possible transfer has been ongoing for a few months now and a bid might finally be made by the Gunners this January.
However, his release clause is rumoured to be around £53m and that is a hefty price to pay for a player who barely appears for your side. Arsene Wenger is widely known to scout young talents from all over Europe and elevate their careers, but he also has a keen eye to get the best deal possible.
And even in this market where 19-year-olds are targetted for astronomical prices, the Frenchman might not be ready to shell out £53m for Zivkovic. If all other transfer targets fail to materialise and Benfica agrees to sell the player at a cheaper price, Zivkovic can be a welcome addition to the current Arsenal squad to drive them back to the top 4 spot of the Premier League.
Zivkovic first arrived at Benfica in the summer of 2016 after his contract with Serbian football club, FK Partizan Belgrade ended. He appeared 95 times for the Serbian SuperLiga club and netted the ball 17 times along with 5 assists. Partizan also made him the youngest player ever to appear for the senior side as well as take up the captain’s armband.
The 21-year-old’s progress to superstardom, however, have staggered with the Portuguese club, with just 749 minutes of game time allotted to him this season.
Zivkovic had previously expressed interest in a possible transfer move away from the club in the summer and was on the radar of multiple clubs. But Arsenal’s name was cut out of the list of names as possible destinations for him.
Arsene Wenger is currently dealing with the possible exit of Alexis Sanchez in the January transfer window. The Chilean has lost all his enthusiasm and energy to appear for the North-London club judging by his grounded display against Liverpool this week.
League leaders, Manchester City are still very much interested in signing Sanchez even after their £60m bid was rejected in the summer.
However, it has become quite clear that Arsene Wenger can no longer hold on to a player who is clearly dissatisfied with the club.
Zivkovic might not be proven talent just yet but it would be arguably, if you denied he does not have any. The Yugoslovakia-born midfielder is still young and ambitious to make his mark in the game.
With 14 assists in just 38 appearances for Benfica, he clearly has a great vision to find players all over the pitch. His electric pace out wide combined with an ability to drill in dangerous balls into the box will be a dream for strikers like Olivier Giroud and Alexandre Lacazette to pounce upon.
Zivkovic might not be an exact replacement for Alexis Sanchez but he can bring an entirely different but necessary element to the Arsenal attack from the left-hand side.
