Arsenal have launched a shock move to sign United midfielder Marouane Fellaini on a free after he rejected two contract offers to stay at Old Trafford.
The thought of Fellaini signing for Arsenal would have seemed impossible under former manager Arsene Wenger because of his age and playing style, but times have changed and the new recruitment team at the club agrees with Emery in his pursuit.
It is believed that Unai Emery had been keen to sign the Belgian when he was the manager of Paris Saint Germain and his representatives are set to meet with club officials this week. The fact he is available on a free is also attractive to Arsenal because they are understood to have a transfer budget of just £50m this summer.
Arsenal’s head of recruitment Sven Mislintat appears to agree with Emery regarding Fellaini’s move and the 30-year-old will want to improve on the one-year contract, worth £80,000-a-week which he turned down at Manchester United.
According to sources in France, Fellaini would want to sign for Arsenal than move to Italy, where a number of clubs are interested in his signature, although it is thought he is still negotiating with United.
Arsenal’s interest in the Belgium international could well be a tool to leverage a better deal from United but the gunners could be a more attractive option if he has been promised an important role in a new look team by Emery.
Although United are set to sign Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk in the next 48 hours after he travelled to Manchester to undergo a medical, manager Jose Mourinho is still interested in keeping Fellaini.
Fellaini has not always been popular with fans, even though he has been a key first team player under three managers at Old Trafford.
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It remains to be seen whether Arsenal are able to agree a deal and it is likely that he will want to delay making a decision until after the World Cup.
