This summer, Arsenal are expected to sign Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa.
Since joining Villa Park on loan from Barcelona in January, the playmaker has scored four goals and given three assists in nine Premier League outings.
Villans manager Steven Gerrard is urging the West Midlanders to pay his £33 million buy-out clause to make the 29-year-move old’s permanent.
However, club executives are delaying signing off on the expense because it will also necessitate a significant compensation payment, with Barca already covering more than half of the Brazilian’s salary.
The Gunners have put themselves in a position to profit if Villa back out of the agreement.
Spanish media report that Emirates bosses are monitoring the situation closely, with Tottenham and West Ham also said to be admirers of the former Liverpool midfielder.
Mikel Arteta’s men moved a step closer to securing Champions League football next season, which could prove pivotal to any negotiation, by sealing a 2-0 home victory against Leicester on Sunday.
The North Londoners sit a point ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United with three games in hand on the Red Devils.
In other news
&w=707&quality=100)
While Coutinho’s departure can help Barcelona balance the books, the Catalan club are eyeing Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette as an inexpensive way to bolster their forward options.
The Frenchman, 30, is out of contract at the end of the season and transfer guru Ekrem Konur believes the LaLiga club are considering an approach that would see Lacazette reunited with former team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Meanwhile, Cesar Azpilicueta has seen his potential move to the Camp Nou take a backwards step with Chelsea having triggered his renewal clause, say Marca.
Finally, another deal seemingly off the table is the rumoured agreement between Manchester City and Luka Modric.
The 2018 World Cup finalist, 36, was linked with an Etihad switch but Marca understand he has now decided to sign a new contract at the Bernabeu.
