Arsenal have set a transfer fee demand of £40 million for midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who is of interest to Barcelona and Juventus.
According to a report from The Times, Arsenal have slapped a £40 million price tag on Matteo Guendouzi, who is set to be sold this summer, amid interest from Barcelona and Juventus.
The Frenchman joined Arsenal in the summer of 2018 and showed a lot of promise in his debut campaign in England. He was also one of the few positives for the Gunners early in the 2019/20 season when things were hardly going their way under former boss Unai Emery.
However, Guendouzi hasn’t been able to make a similar impression under new boss Mikel Arteta. Things haven’t been okay between the pair ever since the midfielder had a run-in with the coaching staff during Arsenal’s winter training camp.
And following the incident with Neal Maupay during the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion post lockdown, Guendouzi has been completely frozen out of the squad by the manager. Indeed, the French youngster didn’t feature in a single game since that incident, indicating that the Gunners are ready to part ways with the midfielder.
Guendouzi’s situation has reportedly sparked interest from Barcelona. The Catalans, having lost their La Liga crown to arch rivals Real Madrid, will be on the lookout to add some new faces to the squad this summer. The midfield department, in particular, is in need of some fresh blood.
Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal are well into their thirties, and the future of the latter two at Camp Nou is anything but certain at the moment. In addition, the current Barcelona squad is lacking someone who adds the bite and tenacity in the centre of the park, making Guendouzi a viable target.
Barcelona, though, will have to battle interest from Serie A champions Juventus, who are also monitoring the situation of the Frenchman. Much like Barcelona, Juve, too, are in need of adding more youth to their midfield in order to replace the ageing Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi.
Amidst this interest, Arsenal have now set a price tag of £40 million on the 21-year-old Guendouzi. Barcelona, though, might have the edge as the Gunners are reportedly considering a potential swap deal that would see Philippe Coutinho move to the Emirates in the ongoing window.
Guendouzi’s contract with Arsenal still has two years on it. However, his time in north London seems to be drawing to a close. It now remains to be seen where the 21-year-old ends up before the next season kicks off.
