Life on repeat for Arsenal in search for Coquelin replacement
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With Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla out of action until February and March respectively, and issues of fitness and form surrounding the rest of Arsenal’s central-midfield contingent, Arsene Wenger’s January transfer plans have been cause for heightened speculation in the run up to Xmas.
Talk of an Arsenal move for Marcelo Brozovic, the Croatian international on loan at Inter from Dynamo Zagreb, has been heard for well over a year now, so the Metro, with the help of their Italy-based friends Calciomercato.com, have given the link an extra push in recent days.
It doesn’t add up to much. The Metro came out with this puzzling description of Brozovic’s situation since leaving his homeland for Milan:
“He’s since impressed and Inter are set to sign him permanently in the new year for about £8million – but he’ll then be sold on.
According to Calciomercato, Arsenal are ready to do business and Inter would let him move to north London for about £11.9m.”
Quite why Inter would want to make a mere £4m on a 23-year-old who’s breaking into the first team, with three goals in his past five appearances, is hard to guess.
Calciomercato.com point to the Nerazzurri’s sale of Brozovic’s countryman (and fellow midfielder) Mateo Kovacic to Real Madrid last summer when stoking up the gossip. That doesn’t really hold water, but the same website’s cryptic words on the player’s contract situation might:
“Truth is, Brozovic has been good enough to warrant attention and potential interesting offers. Better, he’s the only Inter midfielder who is in this situation. Were he to remain till June, Inter would be on the hook for €5 million of the €8 million deal agreed with Dinamo Zagreb, with three to be paid before then.”
The numbers don’t quite match between the two news sources, but the contract certainly sounds muddy.
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