Arsenal told to pay €75 million for deadline day La Liga target
Martin Macdonald
- 31 Jan 2022 17:19 GMT
- 3 min read
Arsenal have been told that they must pay €75 million if they want to sign Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas.
The Gunners are desperate to add a new centre-forward to their ranks in the January transfer window and have been linked with a number of players this months.
After a series of failed deals, they have apparently turned their attentions to De Tomas, who is enjoying a fine campaign for Espanyol.
De Tomas was a key player for the Barcelona outfit last season as he scored 23 goals in 34 games in the Spanish Segunda Division, helping them earn promotion.
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He has continued his form going into 2021/22, scoring 12 goals in 23 starts.
Espanyol have confirmed that they have been approached by Arsenal over a January deal for De Tomas, but the Premier League side have been told that they must pay the player's release clause.
Espanyol director Jose Maria Duran told Esport 3:
"Arsenal called for Raul de Tomas but we didn't even want to talk. We won't let him go now, no way. His release clause is €75million (£60m)".
Who have Arsenal failed to sign in January?
Perhaps the most notable and high-profile rejection that Arsenal received this month was from Dusan Vlahovic, who not only opted for a move to Juventus over the London club from Fiorentina, but did so after reportedly making it clear that he had no intention of joining the English side.
Another notable European talisman that also continued to elude the club over the course of January was Alexander Isak, who was even reportedly spotted shopping and driving around London at the height of Arsenal’s reported interest in the striker. He also never ended up making a move to the club.
Another impressive striker that would have made for an exceptional signing was Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was also heavily linked with a move to the club. However, Everton’s own turmoil on the pitch seemed to put a stop to that when new manager Frank Lampard reportedly blocked any prospect of the Merseyside club selling their star striker before he could get to work.
Elsewhere, Arsenal have also been linked with a number of forwards that have struggled for game time and are certainly not of the same profile as Vlahovic or Isak. Alvaro Morata, Jonathan David, and Luka Jovic are such transfer targets, yet even they seemed to prove too difficult for Arsenal to tie down.
