Arsenal blow in transfer chase for Spanish wonderkid as defender’s agent Deco ‘meets with Barcelona’
ARSENAL have suffered a huge transfer blow as the Spanish wonderkid they were targeting is now reportedly closing in on a move to Barcelona.
Real Valladolid prospect Ivan Fresneda, 18, has been a long-term target for the Gunners.
Arsenal’s scouts have highly recommended Fresneda, even though he is still a relative rookie who has made just 26 senior appearances for Valladolid after being released by Real Madrid’s youth academy as a 14-year-old.
Mikel Arteta was keen on the right-back during the January transfer window when he was looking to strengthen his squad for the title run-in.
But any hopes of a deal were scuppered when Valladolid slapped a £35million price-tag on the highly-regarded Spanish youth international.
It is now thought that the LaLiga side could be ready to sell for just half, or even less, of that original valuation, which could open the door for Arsenal to make a formal offer.
We reported how Borussia Dortmund were also keen on Fresneda.
However, now it appears that both clubs are set to be pipped by Barcelona, according to Marca.
They have claimed that Barca’s sporting director Deco met with Fresneda’s agent on Thursday to discuss a transfer and the pair were even pictured together.
Nou Camp boss Xavi has already revealed that he hopes to bring in a new right-back during the summer window.
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But the club’s financial issues means that he only has a limited transfer budget to play with.
Deco is believed to have informed the star’s representative that Barcelona are only willing to pay a maximum of £8.5m for Fresneda, which could prove to be a huge problem and hand a lifeline to Arsenal and Dortmund.
The player’s release clause is set at double that figure – and rival clubs are believed to be willing to pay at least £12.8m for him.
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