The Gunners want impressive youngster Verratti.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has emerged as a transfer target for Arsenal who are prepared to sanction a £17m move for the Italian, according to TuttoMercato.
The 21-year-old has been with the French champions since the summer of 2012 after making an initial £8.6m move from Pescara and has since played 77 times in all competitions, providing 12 assists.
Yet with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger wanting to rebuild his team for the future after another relatively disappointing campaign, Verratti has emerged as a priority.
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Real Madrid are also thought to be interested in the Italy international – with four caps for the country to date – but Wenger is the first to step up the chase.
However, with the Frenchman’s side losing 3-0 to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday they stand a realstic chance of missing out on the Champions League places to the Toffees.
This would of course make any move to the Emirates Stadium less attractive and would probably give Los Blancos the edge if they chose to make a move themselves.
Verratti is a box-to-box midfielder who in PSG’s current system generally operates in a more defensive role – hence why he hasn’t scored a goal for the Ligue 1 champions as yet.
The young star would provide some grit in the middle of the park that Wenger’s side are often said to lack, as highlighted by Mikel Arteta’s dismal display at Goodison Park at the weekend.
There are some very promising midfield players at the club currently in the shape of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, but many of the veterans may well be sold in the summer and therefore a place for Verratti would open up.
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