Arsenal Must Pay £3.6m To Land Paraguayan Starlet

With the January transfer window just around the corner, managers will be working hard to identify potential new signings, so we’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest transfer gossip. Today, Arsenal must pay £3.6m for Tony Sanabria.

Arsenal have been told they must pay £3.6million to complete the signing of Barcelona starlet Antonio Sanabria, according to the Mirror.

Sanabria is regarded as one of the most highly-rated youngsters to come through the Barca youth academy in recent years and despite being a regular in their B team, he’s been invited to train with the first team on several occasions this season.

The Paraguayan youngster has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in recent weeks after it emerged he was set to leave Barcelona in search of regular first team football, with reports suggesting he has rejected their latest contract offer.

The players agent, Raul Verdu, confirmed talks with Arsenal were advanced and claimed last week that a move to north London could be sealed soon.

“Our contacts with Arsenal are advanced and I expect a solution in the next week.” Verdu is quoted as saying by Sky Sports

The 17-year-old is still tied to a youth contract at the Nou Camp and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had hoped to pick up the exciting youngster for a nominal compensation fee.

However, the Mirror are reporting today that the player has a buy-out clause in his deal that means the Gunners will have to stump up £3.6m to sign him in January – which is well beyond what Wenger was hoping to pay.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE –> Arsenal transfer news

Whether that is going to put a block on any move going through remains to be seen but if Sanabria does end up moving to the Emirates, he will join a growing list of youngsters who have been lured to north London with Wenger previously raiding the Catalans youth ranks for the likes of Jon Toral, Fran Merida, Hector Bellerin, Julio Pleguezuelo Selva and most famously Cesc Fabregas, in recent years.