Arsenal manager Unai Emery has a really small transfer budget this summer but that has not stopped the Spaniard from making bold moves in the market.
Recent reports have suggested that the Gunners have made a joint bid for Sampdoria’s Dennis Praet and Joachim Andersen during the past week.
Andersen plays as a defender for Sampdoria having joined the club in 2017 and this past season, the young centre-back has made 32 league appearances for the Serie A side.
Praet, on the other hand, is a central midfielder who like Andersen had been a key figure for Sampdoria last campaign.
The Gunners had reportedly made a bid of around €45 million for the duo but that initial bid seems to have been rejected by the Italian club.
According to Nicolo Schira, Sampdoria are holding out for a transfer fee of around €55 million and they are not ready to sell Andersen and Praet for such a low price.
#Sampdoria have answered to #Arsenal that want €55M at least for Joaquim #Andersen (value €30M) and Dennis #Praet (value €25M). Contacts ongoing. #transfers #AFC
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) June 10, 2019
A €45 million bid for the duo means Arsenal are ready to exhaust their full transfer budget for the summer meaning they won’t be able to bring in any further players if Andersen and Praet come on board.
But this also suggests that Emery has sanctioned the sale of a number of his big names in order to gather fund for the summer.
Setting up a new defensive line and bringing in a replacement for Aaron Ramsey in midfield are the two biggest priorities for the Arsenal manager this summer.
And a joint bid for Andersen and Praet is certainly a move towards that plan.
It is being suggested that the Gunners have by no means given up hope and will make a refreshed bid for the Sampdoria duo. Now we just have to wait and see if Arsenal are willing to meet the demands of the Italian club this time around.
