Arsenal are considering a potential move for Dinamo Zagreb winger Mislav Orsic, whose hat-trick knocked out Tottenham Hotspur from the Europa League last week.
Dinamo were trailing 2-0 after the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie against Spurs, but they made a shock comeback to win 3-2 on aggregate.
Orsic was instrumental with two second-half goals in the return leg in Zagreb before bagging the winner in extra-time.
According to The Times (via The Sun), Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was impressed with Orsic’s display and is looking to land his signature this summer.
It is added that the inconsistent form of Willian and Nicolas Pepe could be a reason behind the Spaniard’s urge to land another winger.
Sportslens view:
The Gunners are nine points adrift of the top four, and they appear likely to miss out on Champions League football through the league.
Their best chance of qualifying for the competition could be by winning the Europa League, but they face competition from the likes of Manchester United, Ajax and Roma.
As things stand, they may be working on a reduced budget, and their transfer business could largely depend on recouping funds from player sales.
Orsic has been impressive for Dinamo with 53 goals and 25 assists in just 122 appearances, and he enhanced his reputation greatly after his heroics against Spurs.
However, the Croatian is already 28 and there are doubts whether he can adapt to a tougher league at this stage of his career.
He is valued at £6.75 million (Transfermarkt), and the Gunners should only consider a move if he is available for a similar price this summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Read: ‘I saw it’: Argentine star confirms he is aware of Arsenal transfer interest.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
