Arsenal have been given fresh hope in their pursuit of Belgian midfielder Yannick Carrasco.
The 26-year old is currently playing in the Chinese Super League for Dalian Yifang, and has been an Arsenal target for several transfer windows, dating back to 2018, although they have so far never been able to get any deal for him over the line.
However, news that his current club are actively trying to line up a replacement for him has raised expectations that the Gunners can finally lure Carrasco to North London.
Dalian are interested in signing instead Carrasco’s international team mate Dries Mertens, currently plying his trade at Napoli, with the 32-year old potentially moving to China at the end of the season as a free agent if he does not renew his contract with the Serie A side.
And, if that happens, then Carrasco may be allowed to leave and join Arsenal.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.