Arsenal are ready to rival FC Barcelona in the pursuit of Yuri Alberto, who is tipped to leave Internacional in the summer.
According to Globo Esporte, Arsenal are among the clubs keeping a close eye on Yuri Alberto. They have been tracking the progress of the Internacional forward for quite some time now, although they are now joined by Barcelona in the chase.
The Catalan club was even offered the sign the player for just €13 million, but they could not kickstart the negotiations. Internacional are now demanding around €15 million- €20 million, as they brace themselves for life without Alberto.
The 20-year-old has raised a lot of eyebrows in his native Brazil with his performances for Internacional. Last year, the forward netted nine goals in 23 appearances in the Brazilian top-flight, helping his club finish second in the league, narrowly missing out on the title by a point.
Arsenal, though, have been monitoring the development of Alberto since his days at Santos. He was even closely linked with a transfer to the Emirates before his move to Internacional, but it appears Mikel Arteta is now ready to complete a swoop for the Brazilian this summer.
The Gunners are expected to make quite a few changes to their roster, following a disappointing campaign. However, the club is running short when it comes to revenue, forcing Arteta to explore cost-effective options rather than going all out on desired targets like Martin Odegaard, who is expected to cost €60 million.
Barcelona are facing a similar problem, though, perhaps a more serious one as the club’s Joan Laporta has to pay multiple debts that have accumulated over the past five seasons.
The Spanish giants have only signed free agents like Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia this summer and tempted to even lose talents like Ilaix Moriba.
Ronald Koeman, therefore, needs to be cautious with his market activity. Investing €15 million – €20 million on Yuri Alberto, in that regard, might be a risky option, not just for Barcelona but for both parties, as Arsenal, too, cannot gamble with another player who doesn’t have experience of playing in the Premier League.
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At the end of the day, a lot will depend on how these clubs manage to offload their fringe players in the summer, as it is an excellent source of generating transfer revenue.
