Arsenal are continuing to heavily pursue a deal for Sevilla midfielder Steven NZonzi. N’Zonzi, a deep-lying midfielder equally adept either with the ball at his feet or at breaking up the attacks of opposing sides, has established himself has one of the finest midfielders in La Liga over the last couple of seasons, leading to intense links with the likes of Juventus and Arsenal last summer.However, in the end, no club was willing to meet the 29-year-old’s release clause, despite N’Zonzi himself having reportedly been keen on a departure.
This past season since proved to be a peculiar one for the former Blackburn and Stoke man, with a major fallout between he and former Sevilla boss Eduardo Berizzo in November having seen N’Zonzi dropped from the club’s first-team for 6 weeks.Despite heavy reports that he had likely played his final game for the club,
though, N’Zonzi managed to work his way back into contention at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, with the powerful midfielder’s performances over the second-half of the season having been absolutely exemplary.
In fact, so impressive was the 29-year-old, that he managed to earn a place in France’s World Cup squad, ahead of the likes of PSG star Adrien Rabiot and more, since going on to add a World Cup winner’s medal to his trophy cabinet. Unsurprisingly, N’Zonzi’s stellar recent form has seen the Les Bleus’ star inevitably linked with a Sevilla departure once again this summer, with Arsenal having been touted as a potential destination once more.Outlets in Spain over the last couple of weeks have even claimed that the midfielder’s father-agent has informed Sevilla of his absolute intention to depart the club this summer, with a report from Mundo Deportivo yesterday evening having suggested that Barcelona have now joined the race for N’Zonzi’s signature