Arsenal are reportedly looking to launch a summer bid in order to land highly-rated Valencia left-back Jose Gaya.
Daily Mirror are claiming that Arsenal are showing interest in Jose Gaya. The Spanish Under-21 international has been impressive for Los Che in La Liga and could be set to move to the lucrative and illustrious Premier League with the Gunners eyeing a summer move for the 21-year-old.
Gaya is another product from a fine line of Spaniards that have come out of Valencia’s youth setup with Paco Alcacer, who signed for Barcelona in the summer, a shining example.
The 21-year-old has been one of the brighter spots in an otherwise disappointing couple of seasons for Valencia. Gaya has become a mainstay in the starting eleven and has featured in 12 of the club’s 15 La Liga fixtures this season.
Gaya has represented Spain at various youth levels right up to the Under 21 level, and has also received a call-up to the senior National squad, but is yet to make his debut for La Roja.
Arsenal are in need of a quality addition to the current options available at the left-back position. Wenger’s first-choice left-back Nacho Monreal is 31, and one is not sure as to how long he can keep performing at the highest level. The other available option is Kieran Gibbs, whose contract is up for expiry in the summer and the Gunners are yet to offer the Englishman an extension.
Gaya is very highly-rated and has already been linked with a move to Etihad to join Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City project, with the former Bayern Munich boss looking to upgrade on his current full-back options.
However the player will not come cheap. The 21-year-old still has three-and-a-half years left on his current deal at Valencia and the Spanish outfit is likely to ask for an exorbitant amount with the aim of putting off suitors. But, Valencia’s struggles in the league mean that they are unlikely to be able to hold on to their prized asset for much longer, and could settle for a huge pay-check.
It would be interesting to see if Manchester City still retain interest in Jose Gaya and whether Arsenal would be rivaled for the 21-year-old by the Citizens, as well as other clubs that may emerge as suitors by the summer. Manchester City may try to launch a January swoop for Jose Gaya, which would prompt Arsenal to move for the player ahead of the schedule.
For now though, Jose Gaya will be focused on helping his boyhood club out of the treacherous position they find themselves in and restore their place among the top brass of La Liga.
