Arsenal are reportedly ‘preparing’ to submit a formal proposal to sign Barcelona star Marc Casado, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The Gunners have decided to revamp the deep-lying playmaker position in this window. Jorginho and Thomas Partey were the two options they had, but the Italian has left for free to join Flamengo and has been featuring for the Brazilian side in the Club World Cup. Moreover, Partey is also going to leave as a free agent at the end of this month.
Martin Zubimendi is set to become the North London club’s new first-choice defensive midfielder, while Christian Norgaard is likely to arrive from Brentford to support the Spaniard.
However, Fichajes state that Mikel Arteta is still willing to sign another midfielder and has earmarked Casado as a serious option. They are even preparing to table a formal £34m proposal to seal the deal.
Barcelona would be open to accepting the offer should they receive it, as they need money to add more firepower to their squad after signing Joan García and Nico Williams.
The Blaugrana currently have Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Marc Bernal as options for the CDM role. So, it would be difficult for Casado to get regular playing time next season. Therefore, although he isn’t desperate to leave the Catalan giants yet, he might be open to moving away to play regularly.
Casado to Arsenal
Casado is a technically gifted deep-lying player but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. He is a highly talented player and possesses the necessary attributes to flourish in Arteta’s system.
However, considering Arsenal are set to sign Zubimendi and Norgaard, they don’t need to go for another holding midfielder. Instead, they would be better off saving the money to reinforce the attacking department.
Arteta reportedly wants a new centre-forward and a left winger; moreover, he would be open to buying a right-sided forward to support Bukayo Saka.
Benjamin Sesko is reportedly Arsenal’s priority target for the No.9 role, while Eberechi Eze has emerged as a serious option to strengthen the left flank.
Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually make a concrete approach to secure Casado’s service in this transfer window.