What’s the story?
Arsenal have finally managed to come to an agreement with Kostas Manolas ahead of a proposed summer move for the 25-year-old. Roma, who were originally against letting Manolas leave the club, are now willing to offload the centre-back in a deal worth around £47 million according to reports in the British media.
The Greek has been linked to major clubs all over Europe, including heavyweights like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and even Barcelona. But it seems that Arsenal have beaten them to the punch to secure the centre-back's signature. The 25-year-old will be on his way to the Emirates at the end of this Serie A campaign.
In case you didn’t know...
Manolas was supposed to sign a contract extension with the Serie A club at some point during this season but rumour has it that the Greece international has been frustrated by Roma’s delay in handing him a brand new contract.
With Luciano Spalletti’s side sitting four points behind league leaders Juventus, the 25-year-old will be influential in helping them win their first league title in over 16 years. However, financial fair play has forced Roma’s hand and they need to sell either Manolas or Leandro Paredes to balance their books.
The heart of the matter
Arsenal need defensive back up. Whether it’s a replacement for Nacho Monreal at left back or someone who can eventually replace Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the defence, the Gunners need steel in their fragile line-up.
Also read: Transfer Rumour: Real Madrid offer Karim Benzema to PSG, Arsenal and Chelsea
The only reason Arsene Wenger signed Shkodran Mustafi was because Per Mertesacker injured his knee and was ruled out for months. The Gunners do have backup with the likes of Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding on the bench but Gabriel has had his problems and his ability to play consistently at a higher level is questionable.
What’s next?
With Manolas, Arsenal will have a back four to boast about and possibly earn Petr Cech a few extra clean sheets. However, despite that, Mertesacker has been given a one-year extention which means that even if the 25-year-old arrives in the summer, he’ll have to wait before he gets some first team action.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The Greek was one of the first centre-backs linked to Arsenal during the summer window and it’s easy to see why. The Roma man has the size and strength of Mertesacker but unlike the German, he also has speed and an incredible passing range.
However, when Arsenal were first linked to the Greek a few months ago, various “problems” arose with Wenger unwilling to meet Roma’s asking price. Now despite all that, it seems that Wenger is finally willing to spend some money and at £47 million, his transfer fee will break the club record.
