Reports from the English tabloids suggest that
Arsenal have
made an offer of €17.3m to Real
Madrid for striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar,
and are looking to secure the player from under the noses of rivals
Tottenham Hotspur.
The Sunday Express
comments that coach Arsene Wenger has earmarked the Dutchman as a
replacement for Emannuel Adebayor, who has recently departed for
Manchester City, and the club has cash to spend.
Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini recently stated that Huntelaar "has
no place in this team", and the player turned down a move to German
Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart last week.
It is thought that the 25-year old craves a move to the English
Premier League, and although Tottenham had expressed an interest,
the Gunners appear to have moved into the driving seat to clinch
the striker’s signature.
Madrid are looking to sell, with sporting director Jorge Valdano
admitting that the club need to offload some of their squad before
any new additions can be considered, and the money raised from the
sale of Huntelaar could be used to up their bid for Liverpool
midfielder Xabi Alonso.
Huntelaar moved to the Bernabeu in January from Ajax for €20m and
managed 8 La Liga goals in 20 appearances during the second half of
the season.
<!--h3>Paul Macdonald</h3-->