Arsenal have been given fresh hope in their pursuit of Guido Rodriguez, with Real Betis ready to accept an offer in the region of €30 million for the Argentine international.
According to El Gol digital, Arsenal are in pursuit of Guido Rodriguez, while Real Betis are ready to accept a bid of around €30 million for the midfielder. The La Liga side have to raise funds to recruit in important areas and acknowledge a deal with the Gunners could be possible for their 27-year-old Argentine international.
Betis have sounded out the possibility of doing this deal for Rodriguez after lowering their asking price for the midfielder. Earlier in the window, when Arsenal were looking at multiple options for their central midfield recruitment, Rodriguez’s name popped up. Still, the Premier League giants were willing to pay only €30 million.
Rodriguez has an €80 million release clause in his contract and harbours dreams of playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona. With neither of those sides interested, he understands the need to leave Betis, and the Spanish club also need to raise funds to begin their defensive recruitment this summer.
However, since that point, Arsenal have been locked in pursuit of other targets, not particularly of Rodriguez’s profile of a more defensive-minded midfielder. Ruben Neves and Manuel Locatelli have become priority targets, while Houssem Aouar has also been mentioned as a possible option.
Arsenal are waiting on Locatelli and Juventus’s situation while recently making a reported new offer of €45 million to Sassuolo for the midfielder. However, the Gunners understand the difficulties in acquiring the Italian international and are now re-focusing their efforts on more realistic targets, such as Rodriguez.
Whether Rodriguez fits the mould of a midfielder Mikel Arteta needs in the side remains a question. Arsenal are on the verge of signing Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht. Although not pencilled in for instant starts in the first-team, the Belgian, similar to Rodriguez, is defensive-minded. He is more of a replacement for Matteo Guendouzi, who left for Marseille, than the first choice midfielder, Arteta seeks.
However, with Ruben Neves’s asking price becoming a problem for Arsenal, Rodriguez could become an option, even if his style may not match that of the Gunners. Granit Xhaka is expected to leave as soon as a deal is stuck with Roma, and the North Londoners need a viable, experienced replacement in place imminently.
With earlier reports suggesting Betis were looking for more than the €30 million Arsenal were willing to pay earlier, the interest cooled off. However, if a deal could materialise under that amount, it could turn Arsenal’s attention towards Betis’s Copa America winning Argentine international.
