Arsenal ready to spend big on La Liga star with €500 million release clause
Arsenal are ready to spend big on a player that Mikel Arteta really rates, according to reports. After winning the Premier League last season for the first time in 22 years, the Gunners have been busy signing new players to help defend their title.
Bruno Guimaraes has joined to strengthen the midfield, arriving from Newcastle for £75 million, and winger Christos Tzolis signed from Club Brugge for £34 million. But there’s one player Arteta is especially keen to bring in.
According to AS, their football editor Jorge García Hernández says Arteta was very impressed by Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill when they faced Atletico in the Champions League semi-finals last season. Arsenal won 2-1 on aggregate, and Pubill played the full 90 minutes in both games.
His solid performances caught Arteta’s eye so much that he asked sporting director Andrea Berta to try to sign him. It’s said Arsenal are even willing to pay a lot for him. However, the deal looks tough, as Atletico value Pubill highly and he has a €500 million release clause in his contract from last summer.
Atletico are also trying to give Pubill an improved contract to show how important he is to the team. One of his big strengths is that he can play both full-back and center-back really well.
Even though Arteta “wants him on his team,” Pubill is seen as ‘non-transferable’ and has already turned down offers because he’s committed to Atletico’s project. Pubill was also part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad this summer in New Jersey.
Meanwhile, some players have left Arsenal this summer, including Leandro Trossard, Jakob Kiwior, and Christian Norgaard. There’s also lots of talk about Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea and could be worth around £45 million. He only started five league games last season.
Earlier this week, reports said both Premier League clubs had the chance to sign the 19-year-old. Lewis-Skelly scored in a friendly against Como at the Emirates on Wednesday, and his celebration caught attention as he tapped the Arsenal badge and made a heart shape.
When asked about the celebration and the transfer rumors, Arteta said: “It’s good to show emotion after scoring. You should feel it when you score a goal. He’s a very emotional player — you can see that in his gestures on the pitch. I won’t talk about rumors, but if there is interest in our players, it shows they are doing well.”
Lewis-Skelly is expected to start in midfield for Arsenal’s Community Shield match against Manchester City on Sunday.