A trio of Spanish clubs including Atletico Madrid are aiming to rival Italian giants Juventus for the Arsenal star, who will be out of contract at the end of the season.
Spanish publication Fichajes are claiming that a trio of Spanish clubs are interested in Arsenal’s Spain international Santi Cazorla. Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla are all looking to secure a transfer for the former Villarreal man, whose contract with the Gunners expires in the summer.
Cazorla arrived at Arsenal from Malaga in the summer of 2012 and has since gone on to become an integral part of Arsene Wenger’s first-team setup. The 31-year-old has started this season in menacing form with a return of 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 Premier League appearances this season.
Juventus have reportedly opened talks with Santi Cazorla’s representatives over the possibility of a move to Turin. However, in a recent interview, the Spaniard underlined his desire to stay at the North London club.
The likes of Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla have now registered their interest in the 31-year-old. While Los Rojiblancos aim to add the Spaniard to their ranks in an attempt to beef up their attacking options and mount a title challenge, Valencia seek the addition of a creative midfielder to their present squad, with Dani Parejo the only player in that mould.
Sevilla, on the other hand, seek to fulfil director Monchi’s wish of adding a creative brain to the team. While the club is working on a deal to bring former Arsenal midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup to the club, they are looking at Santi Cazorla as their fallback option.
The midfielder is into the final year of his contract with Arsenal and would be eligible to talk to teams outside the English Premier League from January onwards. The Spaniard is also free to sign pre-contracts for a move when the contract expires.
Cazorla’s recent performances, though, have shown just how important a figure he is for the team. Arsenal would need to expedite the process of extending the veteran’s deal to avoid a situation in January where Cazorla is likely to be presented with a range of offers from top sides in Europe.
The January transfer window is a little over two months away and with the lack of updates regarding Cazorla’s contract, it is looking more and more likely that the club and player will go into the January transfer market with the situation still unresolved.
