This week Arsenal have been reportedly linked with a move for St Etienne’s skipper Loic Perrin, who is a highly rated versatile defender.
Steve Stammer of The Mirror reported couple of days back that Arsenal are set to make a shock move for the 29-year-old central defender who is equally comfortable playing in the right back role.
He is versatile, would cost around £6m and would be available for the Champions League last 16. Wenger is looking to sign a defender and a midfielder in the January window and could offload few fringe players to recoup some money.
Perrin can also play in the midfield role and therefore is an ideal fit in Wenger’s January plans.
However, according to reports from Get French Football News, St Étienne co-president Bernard Caïazzo spoke to But! about the recent rumours linking his captain Loic Perrin to Arsenal. Caïazzo said:
“For the moment, there is no contract with Arsenal for Loïc Perrin. We have very good relations with Arsène Wenger and I think that if he was interested in him (Perrin), he would have spoken to us about it.”
GFFN however claim that they have received some indications in the last 24 hours that Wenger has been showing interest in the player.
Wenger has said time and again that January won’t be the time to spend huge money, unless their top targets are available. In most cases, January transfer window is all about sealing bargain deals. From that respect, Perrin would represent a value for money signing, similar to what Arsenal did last January, by signing Kim Kallstrom.
It is clear from the president’s speech that they could be willing to sell, provided Arsenal make a formal approach. Furthermore, Wenger has a good connection with the French club which could prove to be key if the transfer goes through.
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