Arsenal are reportedly closing in on Espanyol midfielder Marc Roca as Mikel Arteta continues to rebuild his outfit ahead of next season’s campaign.
With the fate of the current English Premier League campaign up in the air owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, some teams have began preparations for next season by approaching representatives of players they intend to sign.
The Gunners were largely expected to sign the player last summer after an impressive season with the Catalunya club and also with the Spain U-21 team which one the European U21 championship.
The move however failed to materialize and the Gunners opted to sign Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal.
Mikel Arteta who replaced Unai Emery as Arsenal boss now wants to bring the workaholic midfielder to the Emirates in the summer in a bid to beef up his midfielder ahead of a decisive season. The player has a 35 million pounds release clause.
Bayern Munich were interested in signing the Spain U21 international but were not willing to meet his release clause. The player has been compared to Spain’s greets Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets.
Ceballos is likely to return to Madrid in the summer once his loan deal expires and Arteta views Roca as a perfect replacement for his compatriot.