Arsene Wenger is desperate to increase the depth of the Arsenal squad, and is prepared to make Juventus striker Alvaro Morata the highest paid player at the club in order convince the Spaniard to move to the English capital.
Morata has cemented his place as an important player in the Juventus squad over the last two seasons, ever since his move from boyhood club Real Madrid. The striker has managed to win two consecutive Serie A titles, and has also helped them reach the 2015 Champions League final, which they eventually lost to Barcelona.
Arsenal had suffered from bad form earlier this year, as they allowed Leicester City to run away with a big lead at the top of the table. Forwards Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have largely failed to cement their place as the apex striker in the team.
Also, Danny Welbeck’s long term injury means that the Gunners will be without a top quality striker for most of the next season. This has convinced Wenger that he needs to sign a top quality striker in the summer, in order to properly challenge for the Premier League title.
The Frenchman has reportedly marked out Morata as one of his top transfer targets, an is prepared to make him one of the highest paid players at the club, according to English daily The Sun.
Morata’s agent is also said to have been contacted by Arsenal’s cross-town rivals Chelsea, who are reportedly prepared to offer the Spaniard a deal worth £135,000 a week. However, Arsenal are set to completely blow Chelsea’s deal away by offering Morata a five year deal, which will see the Spaniard pocket £155,000 per week, making him the highest paid player at the club.
How long will Morata remain the highest paid player?
While the Morata offer sounds impressive, it is questionable as to how long he will stay as the highest earner at the club.
The current highest paid player is playmaker Mesut Ozil, who bags £140,000 a week on his current deal. However, his contract is set to run out in a couple of years, and the Gunners are eager to offer him a new deal that is set to make him the highest paid player at the club. In fact, reports suggest Wenger is prepared to offer Ozil a contract worth £200,000 a week, in order to keep him at the club.
