Arsenal target stars with Manchester United flop in Colombia win

Manchester United loan flop Radamel Falcao may have grabbed all the headlines following his two goals and a further assist in Colombia’s 6-0 friendly win over Bahrain but it’s another Los Cafeteros star who looks set to carve out a Premier League future.

Still only 22-years-old, Juan Quintero is already something of an established European star, having impressed since moving to Porto from Italian side Pescara back in 2013.

A versatile attacking star who is capable of either bossing games from the centre of the midfield or playing wide on the right as part of an attacking front three, the Colombian’s trickery on the ball, eye for a pass and ability to shoot from range have made him hot transfer property.

Little wonder then that Arsenal have been consistently linked with a move for the attacking midfielder, who looks destined for bigger things than Porto.

Part of the Los Cafeteros squad that advanced to the quarter finals of the World Cup in Brazil, Quintero’s personal highlight came in the group stages, with the tricky youngster scoring a well-taken winner in Colombia’s 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast.

He was in the thick of the action once again when facing Bahrain, with the South American youngster setting up the first of Falcao’s two goals on the night.

Valued at anywhere between £15m and £32m depending on which reports you believe, Arsenal are not the only team thought to be keeping tabs on Quintero with both Manchester United and Southampton linked with moves for the Porto man.

And with striker and compatriot Jackson Martinez already announcing his intentions to leave the Portuguese giants this summer, a mass exodus could well follow.

Quintero may be one of the first out the door and with many clubs likely to be in contact over the coming months, Arsene Wenger may need to move quickly if he really wants to make those long-reported rumours of interest fact rather than fiction.

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