Arsenal
Barcelona To Hijack Arsenal’s Move For Brazilian Stopper?
Reports in Spain suggest Barcelona are set to make a late bid to hijack Arsenal’s move for goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who’s expected to leave QPR this summer.
With the summer transfer window now open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, could Barcelona hijack Arsenal’s move for Julio Cesar?
Cesar in his Inter Milan days
Arsenal looked to be closing in on their first major signing of the summer with reports on Monday claiming that the club were set to complete the signing of Brazilian stopper Julio Cesar.
The Daily Mail were one of several newspapers to suggest that Arsenal were due to hold further talks with the 33-year-old’s representatives this week, and a deal seemed a forgone conclusion with the experienced goalkeeper set to leave Queens Park Rangers following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
However, according to Spanish publication Sport, Barcelona could be set to join the race and make a late 3 million euro move to try and lure Cesar to Spain this summer.
The former Inter Milan ace was widely regarded as the best keeper at the Confederations Cup and it seems his impressive display’s have caught the eye of the La Liga champions, with Sport suggesting Barca have joined AC Milan and Roma in showing an interest in the Samba Star.
The Catalans current goalkeeping situation is far from certain, with Victor Valdes refusing to sign an extension to a contract that expires in 12 months time leading to rumours of a move to Monaco, and with Borussia Monchengldbach youngster Marc-Andre ter Stegen expected to arrive next summer, Cesar could appeal as a short-term option.
Cesar has recently said he and his family are happy and settled in London so Arsenal remain the favourites to sign him, but that could all change if Barca do decide to make a late move as you’d think it would be extremely difficult for him to turn down the Spanish giants.
I hope news of potential interest from Barca reaches Arsenal and pushes us to get the deal done asap, as I think Cesar would be an excellent addition to the squad this summer.
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