Serie A giants Juventus and AC Milan have set their sights on Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla
Since joining Arsenal in the summer of 2012, he has gone on to become one of the most important players in Arsene Wenger’s side. He has made over a 170 appearances for them over the course of these 4 seasons and has scored nearly 30 goals for them in the process.
However, with only a few months left on his contract, which runs till June next year, he is yet to sign an extension and his future has been surrounded with uncertainty. He has been linked with moves to Italy and Spain, with Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and even Valencia interested in securing his services.
According to Italian publication Calciomercato, both Juventus and AC Milan are targeting Cazorla for a summer transfer after contract negotiations between the 31-year-old and the Gunners have stalled. Juventus are looking for midfield reinforcements in January, given their lack of depth in midfield and earlier last month, they were rumoured to have opened talks with him over a possible move.
Their rivals AC Milan are now also reportedly interested in the former Malaga man and he would clearly add a lot of quality and experience to Vicenzo Montella’s squad.
However, it is unlikely that either side will look to swoop in for the Spanish international in January. Should he not reach an agreement with Arsenal before the end of the year, he will be allowed to talk to other clubs over a possible move.
He has previously stated his desire to stay at the Emirates, saying “I hope I can stay here and continue to play. I am happy here. What a player wants is to play and to feel important. Fortunately, since I arrived at Arsenal, I’ve had the confidence of the coach and of my teammates. I’ve played a lot of minutes. In the end, that is what every player wants.”
Cazorla has been a key part of Wenger’s midfield this season and has made 11 appearances in all competitions, missing out on minutes because of a recent Achilles injury that he picked up. He has formed a superb partnership with Granit Xhaka in the and the Gunners have clearly been missing his industry and talent in the middle of the park due to his injury.
At 31, he has shown no signs of slowing down and has instead shown he can still play the highest level for a few more seasons. Also, a contract extension would certainly go down well with the Arsenal faithful, given that he has grown on to become a fan-favourite over the course of the past 4 seasons.
