Arsenal Preparing £13m Bid For Portuguese International

Managers are now making plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal are linked with Rui Patricio…

Arsenal are ready to launch a £13m bid to sign Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper Rui Patricio as Arsene Wenger looks to replace David Ospina this summer, according to a report in the Express.

The boss is now tipped to extend his stay at the Emirates, despite another disappointing campaign, and freshening up his goalkeeping options is one of several things on his agenda at the end of the season.

Ospina is widely expected to leave the club after growing increasingly frustrated at playing second fiddle to Petr Cech and a number of keepers have been linked with a move to north London in recent weeks.

The latest name to be mentioned is Patricio with the Express citing a report from French radio station RMC that claims Arsenal have now joined the race to sign the Portuguese international stopper.

Patricio has been with Sporting Lisbon his entire professional career after coming through the clubs youth system and has gone on to make almost 400 appearances as well as establishing himself as the Portuguese number one.

The 29-year-old is being tipped to seek a new challenge this summer and the newspaper report suggests that Wenger is now ready to test Sporting’s resolve with a £13m offer.

However, Sporting are under no pressure to sell the Euro 2016 winner any time soon as Patricio is still under contract until 2022 so we may find they hold out for a better deal.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news

Patricio is an excellent goalkeeper and he would push Petr Cech for the number one spot if he was to make the move to Arsenal so I think he’d be a big upgrade on Ospina and would be glad to see him arrive at the Emirates this summer.