Arsenal could be given a second chance to sign Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas in the summer after they ‘sounded out’ a move late last month.
That’s according to Sport, who say the Catalan side insisted the Gunners pay €75m if they wanted the striker at the end of the January transfer window.
Arsenal were on the hunt for a new striker for most of January, with Pierre Emerick Aubameyang out of favour and eventually leaving on a free transfer to join Barcelona.
They had tried hard to get Dusan Vlahovic, but he eventually ended up at Juventus, leaving Mikel Arteta and co to look at other names.
De Tomas was one of the ones they were apparently keen on, with the Spaniard enjoying a strong campaign for Espanyol, scoring 12 goals in 21 La Liga games so far.
He made it clear that they weren’t interested in a sale, and Sport back that up, stating that Espanyol ‘referred to his clause’ when Arsenal asked.
They say the Gunners ‘had shown interest’ in the striker but eventually didn’t move as his release clause is set at €75m and Espanyol ‘were not going to negotiate’.
Losing a key man in January would have been a bitter blow, particularly as they would have had little time to find a replacement.
However, ‘it will be another story in the summer’ when the Madrid striker will not be short of offers after being among the top scorers in La Liga this season.
That suggests Arsenal could get a second shot at the forward at that point if they retain interest after being rebuffed last month, perhaps even with a discount, since there will be time to negotiate.
Much is likely to depend on where they finish this season, but the interest is there and something to keep an eye on moving forwards.
