Arsenal have moved ahead of other suitors in the race to sign Spanish winger Marco Asencio.
It was thought that he would be heading to Italy and AC Milan this summer, but the Serie A club have rejected his wage demands.
He has just 14 months left on his current deal at the Bernabeu, and. although the Spanish club want to keep him and have made him a new contract offer, that is not in line with his expectations.
Asencio is also unhappy that he has not received as many minutes under Carlo Ancelotti this season as he would have wanted.
When he spent the last international break in Milan, many believed that was a clear indication of where he future lay.
However, with that avenue apparently closed, that could be Arsenal’s chance to pounce, having also ready made an informal contract offer to his representatives.
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.