Gunners are skint
Arsenal have agreed terms with Denis Suarez, but there is a problem: they cannot afford the £10m Barcelona are asking.
The Sun reports that Gunners boss Unai Emery has spoken of the club’s cash-flow problems, which are holding up the signing of the 25-year-old Suarez.
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“We cannot sign permanently, we can only loan players,” Emery said yesterday in a bombshell confession. “I know the club is working on possibilities of which players can help us with big performances like we need now.”
Sweating on Suarez
It’s said that Suarez is “keen” to make the move to London but according to Spanish newspaper Marca Barcelona aren’t ready to agree to Arsenal’s request to take him on loan “with a purchase option in the summer”.
They want the £10m this month and there is the risk that if the Gunners can’t cough up the cash then Barcelona will look to sell Suarez to another club.
Hard luck for Henrikh
But assuming Arsenal are able to have a whip-round and raise the £10m for Suarez, it could mean the end of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s Gunners career.
The Sun claims that the 29-year-old Armenian international - currently sidelined with a fractured foot - has not lived up to his billing in the 12 months since he arrived from Manchester United.
Consequently, says the paper, Emery is likely to consider him “surplus to requirements” and look to find a buyer for the mercurial midfielder.
According to Inside Futbol Italian club AC Milan are interested.
Praise for Ramsey
Emery also had something to say about Aaron Ramsey, who according to The Guardian has agreed a five-year deal with Juventus worth £36m, although BBC Sport says claims of an agreement are premature.
The BBC’s David Ornstein writes: “An offer from Paris Saint-Germain is thought to carry great appeal, while there is also interest from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.”
Asked if he feared the Welshman’s commitment would wane in his final six months at the Emirates, Emery said: “In the last match I was very happy with him. I asked in the last match at Blackpool if he is OK to help us play and he said, ‘Yeah, coach, I want to play’ and he played with a very big behaviour and commitment to us.”
Asked if he understood why Ramsey had decided to end his 11-year association with the club Emery added: “His future belongs to him, his family and agent. Every day he’s here with us, he’s working very well. I want his behaviour and his focus to be on West Ham on Saturday.”
This weekend’s Premier League fixtures
Saturday 12 January (3pm unless stated)
- West Ham United vs. Arsenal (12.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Liverpool
- Burnley vs. Fulham
- Cardiff City vs. Huddersfield Town
- Crystal Palace vs. Watford
- Leicester City vs. Southampton
- Chelsea vs. Newcastle United (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
Sunday 13 January
- Everton vs. Bournemouth (2.15pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
Monday 14 January
- Manchester City vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (8pm, live on Sky Sports)
