Salomon Rondon
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are scouting the 21 year old Malaga forward, who has scored 16 goals in 31 games for the Spanish side this season. He’s bagged a few for the Venezuelan national team as well, both at U21 level and as a full international. He is said to command a fee of up to £18 million, so many would consider such a player as out of Arsenal’s reach. He only made the step up to La Liga last summer, so I don’t really understand where such a high fee would come from.
Supposedly, Arsenal scouts were in Spain last weekend, and saw Rondon score in a 3-0 win over Athletico Madrid. With Bendtner and possibly Chamakh both looking for a fresh start, Wenger may be encouraged to strengthen his attacking options, despite Arsenal having scored the second highest number of goals in the league this season, with 67 (Utd scored 73).
Likeliness Rating: 3.5/5
Felipe Melo
Following his £21 million move to Juventus from Fiorentina two years ago, Melo has received mixed reviews. Having played only 53 times in two seasons (bear in mind Wilshere has played 42 times this season alone), you could say that the Brazilian has had a bit-part role at the Turin club. However, he has been on the end of great media attention after superb displays against AC Milan and AS Roma. His fiery temper has earned him some criticism, but it could be exactly what Arsenal are missing.
The 27 year old defensive midfielder would push Alex Song for his place. Such competition could allow both players to thrive, and perhaps Arsenal could properly adopt a 5-man midfield with two more defensive-minded players dictating the play. Despite this, I’m still 100% behind a return to the 4-4-2 formation, in which I believe Melo and Fabregas/Wilshere/Ramsey could forge a strong partnership.
His agent has spoken of his possible availability this summer. He may come with a hefty price tag, but it should be lower than the £21 million that Juve signed him for (unless he has a ridiculous clause in his contract).
Likeliness Rating: 2.5/5
Kevin Gameiro
Arsenal may be looking to purchase another player from Ligue 1 side Lorient, French striker Gameiro, after we signed Koscielny from the same club last summer. The 23 year old striker is quite prolific, with 54 goals in 115 games for Lorient. If we take into account that he plays for a mid-table French side, and he has a ratio of almost 0.5 goals/game, imagine what he could do playing in front of Fabregas, Wilshere and Nasri. I’m already excited.
With Arsenal able to offer Champions League football to Gameiro, it shouldn’t be too difficult to entice him to the club. With a French speaking manager, and plenty of French speaking players, we have everything necessary to attract him. It seems like a typical Wenger signing – our manager would be silly not to take a look at this talented striker.
Likeliness Rating: 4/5