Arsenal and Liverpool in battle to sign Barcelona star López
Arsenal They are supposedly in a battle with Liverpool about an agreement to sign Barcelona star Fermín López, according to Spanish media Transfers.
After the departure of Fabio Vieira to FC Porto, Mikel Arteta He has been left with Martin Odegaard as the only attacking midfielder option. Thus, in the midst of the Norwegian's absence due to injury, the Spanish coach has been forced to use Leandro Trossard, who feels more comfortable playing on the wing, in the number ten role.
The Gunners are therefore apparently looking at options to add depth in the attacking midfield position. Transfers claims that the north London club have set their sights on signing López from Barcelona and that the Blaugrana are open to letting him leave if they receive an offer of around £67m.
However, the report says that Liverpool are also interested in signing the Spaniard as they are willing to sign a new midfielder to support Dominik Szoboszlai.
Arne Slot has preferred to use the Hungarian in the number ten position during the early stages of this season. Now, the Dutch manager has been using Curtis Jones more in this area of late.
Battle
However, there is always a need to continue strengthening the squad, so it would be the right decision for the Reds to add a new creative midfielder in January or next summer.
Fichajes claims that Arsenal and Liverpool are not the only clubs interested in López, as Paris Saint-Germain have also expressed their interest in securing his signature.
After qualifying through Barcelona's youth system, the 21-year-old made his senior debut last year and has been a regular member of the senior squad ever since. But he has not secured a place in the Blaugrana starting eleven.
The midfielder was a key player for the Spanish team that won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics, scoring six goals and registering one assist in six appearances.
Furthermore, he was part of the Spanish team that won the Euro Cup in the summer, but did not participate regularly in this competition, playing only 28 minutes.
Lopez is a highly talented player and could develop into a top player in the future, so he would be a smart acquisition for Liverpool or Arsenal if either club buys him next year. However, the £67m valuation seems a bit high, considering he is not a regular starter for Barcelona.
