According to the Liverpool Daily Post, Barcelona could make a move for Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta after hitting brick wall after brick wall with their pursuit of Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas.
The ‘will he, won’t he?’ speculation about Fabregas moving to Barcelona has been arguably the top transfer story of the summer, with the speculation seemingly changing by the day, but the core facts remain the same – Arsenal haven’t budged, and they won’t be budging unless something drastically changes.
Werder Bremen star Mesut Ozil has been mentioned as a backup option, and there were recently reports that the German playmaker had even agreed terms with Barcelona, but nothing has concretely transpired on that front.
Now, the latest speculation is that Barca could turn to Arteta, who came up through the Barcelona youth system but never made a breakthrough to the first team, only making it as far as the club’s B team.
Arteta went on to star at Rangers before moving to Real Sociedad in 2004, and after struggling for a half season there, was snapped up by Everton in a loan deal in January 2005. Arteta helped the club finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League that season, and Everton made the deal permanent that summer.
Injuries have seen Arteta miss significant time over the last few seasons, but he has remained one of David Moyes’ most important players throughout his time at Goodison Park. Last season, Arteta was limited to only 13 Premier League appearances, but he still notched six goals.
Arteta has been linked with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Sevilla this summer, and Everton have reportedly put a price tag of £25m on the 28-year-old, but if there is something to those reports and these latest reports, that wouldn’t deter Barcelona, especially given reports earlier in the summer that Arteta and his wife were looking for a return to Spain for their sake of their infant son, who’s visually impaired.
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