Barcelona and Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Matteo Guendouzi, who is set to be sold by Arsenal this summer.
According to a report from French publication Le 10 Sport, as relayed by The Sun, Arsenal are ready to sell midfielder Matteo Guendouzi in the summer, putting both Barcelona and Real Madrid on high alert.
The 21-year-old Guendouzi started out at the academy. He joined fellow French outfit Lorient’s youth setup in 2014 and went on to make 30 first-team appearances, before Arsenal snapped him in the summer of 2018.
Guendouzi had quite an impressive debut campaign in England, impressing onlookers with his energy and industry. The midfielder made a similarly effective start to the 2019/20 campaign and was one of the very few positives as things unraveled for the Gunners under Unai Emery.
However, a dip in form and attitude problems have seen him get into troubled waters under new boss Mikel Arteta. The 21-year-old is believed to have gotten into a heated argument with the Spaniard and his coaching during the winter break, following which he was axed from the squad.
Things have seemingly come to a head now, after Guendouzi’s latest antics, when he allegedly mocked Brighton players over their earnings this past weekend and grabbed Seagulls’ striker Neal Maupay by the throat. Following the incident, Arteta dropped the 21-year-old from the Gunners’ matchday squad against Southampton on Thursday.
While he escaped punishment from the FA, Arsenal have seemingly had enough and are ready to offload the Frenchman. This development has reportedly piqued the interest of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both La Liga clubs have been linked with midfielders aplenty in recent weeks.
Barcelona are set to offload Arthur Melo, having reached an agreement over a transfer fee with Juventus. Furthermore, both Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal have also been linked with an exit from Camp Nou. As a result, adding younger faces such as Guendouzi to the midfield department would be something manager Quique Setien is likely to consider.
Real Madrid, too, need to put in a succession plan in place for the ageing Luka Modric. Federico Valverde has shown this season that he is more than capable of filling into the Croat’s shoes, but strength in depth is something that Los Blancos always crave, which could explain their reported interest in Guendouzi.
Guendouzi has two more years left on his current contract with Arsenal. With Arteta seemingly havinh had enough with the Frenchman, his time may at the Emirates may very well be coming to an end. But, it remains to be seen if there is any truth to the claims of interest from either of Barcelona or Real Madrid.
