Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s swap deal for Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United got complicated in the final minutes when the player’s compensation demands turned out to be quite high. The Armenian, whose contract is set to run till the summer of 2021, has demanded a £15m fee for making an early exit.
This might put the entire Sanchez’s transfer deal on hold but it does make things a bit slower. United are ready to offer £30m in addition to Mkhitaryan to Arsenal and have already agreed to personal terms with the Chilean. This puts the former Dortmund man in a tight spot especially now that the entire deal is being held up by his demands.
Obviously losing out on Mkhitaryan is a huge loss for Arsenal who will have to sign somebody to replace Sanchez in the lineup. The Chilean is a key figure in the current squad and his exit will leave a meteoric gap among the Arsenal ranks.
But all is not lost just yet for the Gunners as they have a bit less than a fortnight to sign a marquee player who can somehow replicate or bring an equivalent amount of attacking threat to the lineup. Arsene Wenger should heavily consider a few players outside of the Premier League.
Lucas Moura
Lucas’ pace and close control dictate the majority of his game. Blessed with blinding speed on the flanks, it is hard for full backs to match up to the Brazilian’s skills. He is a nightmare from the right wing and can make an impact in the English game.
He was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, but now that Mourinho has got his player in Sanchez, maybe Wenger should persuade the 25-year-old to move to North London.
Andre Schurrle
Schurrle has fallen out of favour at Borussia Dortmund with just a measly 361 minutes of game time received so far into the season. Spending majority of the season on the sidelines with injury, the former Chelsea player has failed to find his feet at the Westfalenstadion and has fallen way below the pecking order.
He is looking to make an exit and could be a good short-term option for the Gunners. Even though he does not come close to the player than Sanchez is, Schurrle is a proven goalscorer and is motivated to perform in order to cement a spot in the German national team ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Thomas Lemar
Why not? Now that Wenger has collected a net profit of over £100m over the transfers of Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott, why not reinvest on the highly rated Frenchman and meet AS Monaco’s £90m asking price?
