2 years ago
Arsenal's €40m offer for Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino has reportedly been accepted.
The Gunners have made an ambitious bid for the 19-year-old Spain international, who has an €80m (Ł67.5m) release clause in his contract.
Pino is one of the most promising young players in La Liga - and has also attracted interest from Liverpool - but Arsenal was the first to react and Villarreal could be forced to accept his low offer given the club's financial situation.
According to the Spanish publication,Villarreal is likely to accept any offer in the range of €40-50m to 'resolve the club's financial problems and a key factor in a move to the Emirates now is whether Pino is happy to leave. '.
The Gunners have had a strong summer window, bringing in Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Zinchenko from Manchester City and Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira.
Manager Mikel Arteta was also keen on signing a new winger to provide cover and competition for Bukayo Saka, particularly on the right flank, and the club briefly pursued a deal for Rafinha - although he only wanted to join Barcelona.
Arsenal remains wary of the possibility of signing a new striker who can play on the other side of the line, by landing Pino from Villarreal. Villarreal has had a quiet summer - signing only Kiko Femenia, Jose Luis Morales, and Pepe Reina - and will have to let go of at least one big name to allow manager Unai Emery to sign more new faces.
They had hoped for big deals for the likes of Arnaut Danjuma and Pau Torres, but those deals never materialized so Pino could now be sold instead. He scored six goals and provided four assists in 21 La Liga games last season, having enjoyed a breakthrough the previous season as Villarreal won the Europa League, beating Arsenal en route to the semi-finals.
Pino did not play in the first leg - which his team won - but came on as a substitute in the second leg at the Emirates in a goalless draw as Villarreal progressed 2-1 on aggregate.
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