From Spain – Arsenal set to sign attacker after agreeing to meet £14m asking price

The January transfer window is open and managers are working hard on strengthening their squads and identifying targets for the summer so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest rumours. Today, Arsenal are closing in on Denis Suarez….

Arsenal are set to wrap-up the signing of Denis Suarez after finally agreeing to meet Barcelona’s £14.2m asking price for the attacking midfielder, according to reports in Spain via the Daily Star.

Suarez has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal this month after falling out of favour at the Nou Camp with the Spaniard playing just a handful of La Liga minutes under boss Ernesto Valverde this season.

Unai Emery admitted earlier this month that he was keen to strengthen his attacking options during the winter window and hinted Suarez was a target after pointing out he deployed him on the wing during their time working together at Sevilla.

The Daily Star claim that Arsenal have been locked in negotiations with Barcelona over a potential deal to sign Suarez with the Catalan giants reluctant to accept our six-month loan offer as they are determined to secure a permanent sale.

The 25-year-old will have just 12 months left on his contract at the end of the season so understandably Barca want to cash-in now before the midfielders value drops any further by the summer.

A deal hung in the balance as Emery suggested last week that he was only able to sanction loan deals this month due to financial constraints at Arsenal, but the boss could free-up some money if he successfully offloads Mesut Ozil – who’s being linked with a move after being frozen out in recent weeks.

Now, the Daily Star are citing a report from Spanish outlet El Gol Digital that claims Arsenal have finally agreed to meet Barcelona’s £14.2m asking price to sign Suarez on a permanent basis, which could pave the way for Ozil to join Atletico Madrid.

The newspaper suggests that an agreement between Suarez and Arsenal is already in place so a deal could be wrapped-up swiftly if we have agreed to meet Barca’s valuation to secure a permanent deal.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming hours but if Arsenal are prepared to pay £14.2m to sign Suarez this month then it suggests we’ve freed-up some funds from somewhere and an Ozil departure could be on the cards.