Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claimed last month that Arsenal are interested in signing Barcelona full-back Emerson Royal to replace Hector Bellerin.
The Arsenal right-back is expected by many to leave the club at the end of this season. CalcioMercato.it revealed that the Spaniard was given the green light last week by Mikel Arteta to move on this summer.
If the right offer does come in for Bellerin, the Gunners will likely cash-in. We will need a new right-back if our vice-captain moves on, and Emerson would be a very good addition to our squad.
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The Brazilian is co-owned by Real Betis and Barcelona at the moment, but the Catalans are obligated to buy him this summer. With Sergino Dest and Sergi Roberto available to Ronald Koeman, the need for Emerson is very small.
It is very likely that he will be sold this summer, and if Estadio Deportivo are to be believed, Emerson is among the top of Edu and Arteta’s wish list to replace Bellerin at right full-back.
Arsenal cannot afford Emerson
The report claims that Barcelona are looking for a fee between £21.6 million and £26 million for Emerson this summer. That is a lot of money for a full-back, especially for a club in Spain.
However, Arsenal paid a similar amount to sign Kieran Tierney from Celtic two years ago. Realistically, it shouldn’t be a problem for us to get Emerson, but the report claims the Gunners might not be able to afford the Brazilian this summer.
That really is a shock. If Arsenal can’t afford £25 million for one of Arteta’s priority targets, our hopes of securing big-name signings are dead. That would cause some serious outrage – more so than what’s going on at the moment.
