Arsenal will make an offer of £24.4million for Barcelona defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets this weekend.
The Spain international has been heavily linked with the Premier League side all summer as Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is desperate to sign a new holding midfielder to bolster his defensive options.
Arsenal’s hierarchy have revealed that they are willing to match his large salary and popular newspaper and television reports in Spain say the English giants have made an opening offer of £24.4million for the 27-year-old.
It is expected that the Champions League champions will reject Arsenal’s initial offer as they have confirmed that they want Busquets to stay at the club, with the player himself also wanting to stay with the club he has supported all his life.
However, the London club are prepared to offer as much as £40million for the Catalonia representative so it is looking like negotiations between both clubs could go down to the wire.
The Barca academy product is a main target for Arsenal given his experience in all competitions, having already won 21 trophies in his career to date.
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
