Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Top 3 Targets the Gunners Are Pursuing
Scott Carasik@ScottCarasik
Contributor IIJuly 14, 2012
Arsenal F.C. is in the process of reloading their team for another shot at the Premier League title.
They have quite a few targets they are pursuing, but of those there are only a few that would truly make differences in 2012-13.
The Gunners are looking for some extra talent to spark their first championship since 2004. They have three primary targets this offseason that they are trying to get to transfer to them: midfielder Yann M'Vila, striker Alvaro Negredo and midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso.
Yann M'Vila, Midfielder
Current Club: Stade Rennais F.C. (France)
Projected Price Tag: £17 million
The Rennes Midfielder is a top transfer target among English Premier League teams. It's for good reason, as M'vila is a top midfielder in the French league.
However, according to Rennes general manager Pierre Dreossi (h/t ESPN):
For the time being, there have been a few expressions of interest, but no concrete offers that would be sufficient for M'Vila to leave.
This could be interpreted a few different ways, but it looks more as though the Rennes club just isn't getting what they want for him.
Should the Gunners not increase their bid for the star midfielder, they could be left wanting for the 2012-13 season.
Paulo Henrique Ganso, Midfielder
Current Club: Santos F.C. (Brazil)
Projected Price Tag: £30 million
Ganso is a great midfielder and arguably the best transfer prospect available. Arsenal have been rumored to be one of the top suitors for him as they need another attacking midfielder.
talkSPORT reports that Ganso’s valuation would be in excess of £30m, more than double Arsenal’s record transfer fee spend, thus no doubt making many Gunners fans skeptical about the validity of such speculation.
The price could be too much for Arsenal to pay. However, this is the kind of move that would allow Van Persie to feel as if they want to win again.
Right now, that is the biggest thing they have to prove, and Van Persie is someone they have to keep.
Alvarado Negredo, Striker
Current Club: Sevilla F.C. (Spain)
Projected Price Tag: £20 million
As reported in the Daily Star, Arsene Wegner is going to have to wait for the Van Persie situation to finally unfold before he makes this move. Negredo is a dominant striker and someone who could help the Gunners take the next step.
Van Persie and Negredo are two of the better forwards, and teaming them together would be ideal for the Gunners.
If they could combine Van Persie and Negredo with one of the midfielders listed earlier, Arsenal could be in the running to unseat Manchester City.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist and Trends and Traffic Writer for Bleacher Report. As a Featured Columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL Draft. He is also the Falcons analyst at Drafttek and also runs the NFL Draft Website ScarDraft.com and the host of Kvetching Draftniks Radio.