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What’s the story?
A swap deal is something that's very rare in the Premier League. Arsenal, however, feel that they can get one done this summer with Chelsea.
According to reports by Di Marzio (via Express), Arsenal have offered Chelsea Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in exchange for Nemanja Matic. Both the players want to leave their respective clubs this summer and are set to be involved in a swap-deal.
Arsene Wenger is on the hunt for a midfielder as he's not impressed with Francis Coquelin and wants to sign a proper partner for Granit Xhaka. And now, the Gunners manager has set his sights on Matic.
Antonio Conte meanwhile is hunting for a wing-back, a position Chamberlain played towards the end of last season. Chelsea also need to sign a home-grown player and with Chamberlain falling into that category, things might fall into place.
In case you didn’t know...
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to enter his final 12 months of his Arsenal contract. The Englishman has not yet agreed an extension and is looking to leave.
Nemanja Matic is set to be replaced by Tiemoué Bakayoko in the Chelsea XI. He does not want to play the role of a substitute and wants to leave.
The heart of the matter
Di Marzio reports that Arsene Wenger does not want to lose Chamberlain for free next summer. He has now made a shock move for Nemanja Matic and has offered Chelsea the chance to sign the former Southampton star.
Matic has been training on his own during the pre-season training and he's 'desperate' to leave the club. The midfielder wants to join former boss, Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Antonio Conte plans to switch Chelsea 's formation to 3-5-2 next season and was reportedly eyeing a move for Chamberlain earlier this summer. The Chelsea manager wants to add more homegrown players as well following the sale of Chalobah and Nathan Ake to Watford and Bournemouth respectively.
What’s next?
Arsenal have reportedly already made the bid and are waiting for Chelsea's reply. The Gunners are keen on the deal but are not sure if The Blues will be interested in it.
Chelsea have a £40 million from Manchester United and £34 million from Inter Milan for Matic. But with Arsenal's swap-deal offer, they might end up considering this switch.
Author’s Take
Swapping Matic for Chamberlain will be a win-win situation for the clubs and the players. Matic can bring in a fresh boost to the Arsenal squad while Chamberlain can be the backup winger Chelsea are hunting.
