Global football is currently on pause for the most part, but the Premier League will restart again on June 17, with matches to be played behind closed doors. Arsenal will be in one of the two matches played on the very first day. Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga are drawing closer to a restart soon as well.
Until we have football matches again, we still have plenty of transfer talk to do. So let’s take a look at what the Arsenal FC rumor is talking about in cyberspace.
Bayer Leverkusen scoring sensation and Arsenal transfer target Kai Havertz is wanted by several of the biggest clubs in the world- United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid among others.
Bayer Director Rudi Voller hopes that his club can keep him for at least one more year, but realizes that might be wishful thinking.
“I’m honest, I always have such a small hope that we can and will keep him here for another year,” he said to Sky Sports (h/t Goal) today when asked about Havertz’s future with the club.
Voller believes Havertz will move to a giant club, and that his valuation, approximately £90 million ($113m) won’t be adversely affected by spending (on account of the COVID-19 pandemic) being down this transfer window.
“It doesn’t change the fact that he’s already a world-class player anyway, that’s what he was before. Now the attention is even more on him,” Voller continued. “He will switch to an absolute world-class club at some point.”
Could that club be in north London?
Elsewhere Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu is said to be wanted both Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Betis, Sevilla, Roma and Atalanta.. The 19-year-old reportedly has a valuation of about $28 million (£23m).
According to Dutch outlet VI the Gunners are understood to be stepping up their efforts to acquire him. And he would be the type of player that fits Mikel Arteta’s system too.
Perhaps NBC Sports said it best as they said Arteta “wants young, hungry players who are good on the ball in midfield and can help keep the ball and maintain a high-press.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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