Arsenal are set to try and beat their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the loan signing of Barcelona veteran midfielder Miralem Pjanic.
Pjanic, 31, is being linked with a move away from the Catalan giants this summer, with a number of clubs linked to securing the services of the Bosnian midfielder this summer.
The 31-year-old’s preference is said to be to return to Juventus, but the Old Lady needs to offload some midfielders who are currently out of favour.
Due to the time it will take for the Serie A club to get all of this done, an approach for the 31-year-old is a long way away, meaning that his agents have been looking at other options.
Premier League duo Tottenham and Chelsea have been linked to the Barcelona star, but it seems the Gunners have overtaken their north London rivals in the race to sign the 31-year-old.
According to Spanish outlet SPORT (via Sport Witness), Arsenal have made a bid for the midfielder in the last few hours, and as a consequence they are now the favourites to sign the Bosnian.
But this can only be completed on one condition for the Gunners before Edu and co sanction the deal.
Mikel Arteta’s side are wanting the Catalan giants to pay Pjanic’s wages, ‘as long as the loan is free’.
Barca are so desperate to offload players that they will accept any compromise, so that it can help them lower their salary budget for next season.
It has been reported though that the midfielder is adamant on moving away from the club this summer, and that he wants his future sorted out before returning to pre-season training.
The summer window is officially open, and it’s going to be tough to keep up with the comings and goings in and out of the Emirates.
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Lack of regular game time is the sole reason for the 31-year-old’s stance, having only featured in 30 games last season in all competitions.
football.london understands that despite Pjanic’s desires to return to Italy with Juventus, the midfielder is still open to exploring other offers, meaning an Arsenal move is quite possible at this current moment as the Gunners look for possible replacements to replace the outgoing Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka is expected to move on from the club this summer, with AS Roma and Jose Mourinho expected to add the Swiss midfielder to their ranks this summer.