Romano urges Arsenal to stay away from midfielder target

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Jan 2024 10:33 GMT
• 4 min read

Arsenal should not make a desperate attempt at signing Renato Sanches, says Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners are in the market for another midfield reinforcement that would complete their new-look centre of the park after the big-money acquisitions of Kai Havertz and record signing Declan Rice in the summer.

However, Arsenal's problem this month is the simple fact that they don't have a lot of money to spend unless they raise some significant funds from sales. Moreover, of course, clubs are reluctant to sell their star players mid-season.

Mikel Arteta's side have been linked with a host of big-name midfielders. The Spanish coach holds a long-standing interest in Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, who could cost in excess of €100 million, and Everton's Amadou Onana also recently emerged as an option.

Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, who hails from the same city as Arteta, is a potentially more affordable option due to his €60m release clause, but he does not want to leave his boyhood club in the midst of a run in the Champions League knockouts.

Avoid Renato Sanches

This has led to some suggestions that Arsenal could eye a deal for forgotten wonderkid Renato Sanches. The Portuguese midfielder's career has not gone to plan, despite him somewhat rebuilding his reputation at Lille prior to signing for PSG.

On loan at Roma this season, who have just sacked Jose Mourinho, Sanches has failed to have any kind of impact and is currently nursing an injury. However, after telling Arsenal to sign Zubimendi on Monday, Fabrizio Romano has now urged to Gunners to stay away from Sanches despite him potentially being available.

“Roma still want him [Sanches] to find another club in January, but Paris Saint-Germain will only interrupt the Roma loan if there’s another good bid for the player as he’s 100% not returning to PSG now,” Romano told CaughtOffside. "My understanding is that Besiktas and Olympiacos have called about Sanches, but the player wants to take some time before making a decision."

“Some Arsenal fans have reacted to this news as they’ve been linked with midfielders such as Douglas Luiz, Amadou Onana and Martin Zubimendi, but since they are all too expensive for this January, could it be worth going for Sanches? In my opinion, it wouldn’t be the right move – Arsenal need to go for a consistent player who can be always available. I like Renato but he’s been injured many times in recent years.”