Arsenal boss Unai Emery is on the lookout for players to strengthen his side but their limited transfer budget seems to be a big hindrance in the process. The Gunners have made attempts to sign many players this summer but their asking price is just too high for the North London club to match. After enquiring for Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez, Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign another Los Blancos player for very cheap.
Mariano Diaz, who was re-signed by Real Madrid last season after he enjoyed a successful season at Lyon has been off to a slow start in Madrid. Having made 22 appearances for Real Madrid last season, he was able to find the net just 4 times in all competitions and now with the likes of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic joining the club, the Los Blancos no.7 is being deemed surplus to requirements.
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Arsenal, on the other hand, reportedly have a transfer budget of just £40 million and this has eventually put their hopes of signing the likes of Wilfried Zaha in jeopardy. But the silver lining in all this transfer fiasco for Arsenal is that they have been informed by Real Madrid about the availability of Marino Diaz for a price as low as £18 million, as per Mirror’s Paul Brown.
With a deal for Saint-Etienne’s William Saliba on the table, Arsenal will have a reduced amount in their transfer budget. However, the two teams have agreed for the sum to be paid in installments and that may come as a bit of a relief for Emery. Having earlier approached Real Madrid for Lucas Vazquez, Arsenal are on the lookout for a forward to fill in for Danny Welbeck, who left the club and is now a free agent. If not Vazquez, Mariano Diaz may also seem to be a good alternative and Arsenal are still considering whether signing the Dominican Republic International would be worth it.
Emery may try to submit an improved bid for Zaha, but for that he will have to sell some players first to have enough funds to sign other players to improve other aspects of the team. Real Madrid need to balance their books after spending heavily in the summer and getting Diaz for a dirt-cheap price of £18 million may actually turn out to be a good bargain for the Gunners.
Diaz still has 4 years left on his contract at Real Madrid but it is highly unlikely that he be a regular fixture in the squad for the upcoming season and should look for another club where he can get more first-team football.