Serie A giants Juventus and AC Milan are plotting a summer move for Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla after the Spaniard has stalled on signing the new deal at the club. The 32-year-old has just 7 months left on his contract and is getting growingly concerned about his future at the club.
Cazorla is currently sidelined with an Achilles injury and has travelled back to Spain to consult specialists to get the right treatment. In his absence, Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey have established themselves as the mainstay of Arsenal’s midfield which again does not go down well for the Spanish playmaker.
Manager Arsene Wenger has also shied away from making any direct remarks on Cazorla’s return to training which has further cast doubts over midfielder’s position at the club. In his recent interview, Wenger said: “I don’t know how far he is. He looks to me that he’s making progress, but as long as the player is not in full-time training you can’t set targets.
“It’s not a big injury, it’s not one that will harm his future, it’s an inflammation at the back of his Achilles. And with inflammation, it’s always hard to tell.”
Time running out for Arsenal and Cazorla
Due to the current situation, Cazorla can begin negotiations with other clubs in January which will give the likes of Juventus and Milan enough time to reach an agreement with the 32-year-old player. According to reports from Calciomercato, Milan are eying Cazorla as a dream signing after a good start to the 2016/17 signing.
Milan are currently 3rd in the league table and are hoping to make a Champions League return next season after a 3-year absence. As for Juventus, they are keeping an eye on the development and will make a summer bid for the former Malaga man.
What would be Cazorla’s ideal destination?
While Juventus will seem like a more attractive option for Cazorla, AC Milan could provide more game time to the playmaker which could give them a head start in the race to sign him. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal are also linked with a move for Cazorla next summer.
Arsenal are mindful of the fact that Cazorla is likely to leave in the summer but given his age and injury concerns it may not be the worst idea to let him go as Gunners already have 3-4 midfielders with Jack Wilshere still a possibility to return after impressing during his loan stint with Bournemouth.
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