Guendouzi Interest Cooling Down, Arsenal Prowling For Buyers

Matteo Guendouzi's options are on the decline as Arsenal FC tries to find ways to deal him away. Swap deals to clubs like Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have hit a snag, and the 21-year-old player's options are dwindling.

Arsenal has been trying to offer Guendouzi to several clubs, but none have prospered. Aside from the three clubs mentioned, Inter Milan and Tottenham have also backed off any potential swaps.

"We will have to see what will happen with Guendouzi," transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said to Arsenal Fan TV. "They offered him to Italian clubs, also to Atletico Madrid, also to Paris Saint-Germain, they all said 'no'."

Worth noting here is that Arsenal has been packaging Guendouzi. The case could be different if he were to be sold individually. But given the current COVID-19 crisis, the number of clubs that could bite is limited.

As mentioned in a previous post, Barcelona and Villareal were mentioned as clubs interested in the French football player. But of the two, the latter seemed a more plausible destination because of Unai Emery.

It was Emery who got Guendouzi from Lorient in 2018, and he was used extensively when the 48-year-old was calling the shots at Emirates Stadium.

With his future unclear, Guendouzi may want to take Mikel Arteta up on his offer of starting fresh. Arteta recently said he was willing to forget the past and prefers to focus on what a player can contribute now.

"I’ve been really clear that everybody starts from zero," Arteta said during the Community Shield. "What you did two weeks ago or two years ago, doesn’t really matter. It’s what you are able to contribute to the team now."

Arsenal needs to find ways to gain more flexibility to take in their targets. One of the players strongly linked to them is Thomas Partey. The Gunners tried to package Guendouzi for the Ghanaian player, but Atletico thumbed the offer down.

The good news for the Gunners is that Partey is interested in moving to Emirates Stadium. But for that to happen, Arsenal needs to raise the asking price of $60 million set by Los Indios.