- 17 hours ago
Arsenal will need to table 'exceptional offer' for Arteta's dream signing
Tom Weber
- Updated: 30 Apr 2024 09:26 BST
- 4 min read
Arsenal would have to table an 'exceptional offer' to land Xavi Simons, according to a report.
The Dutch wonderkid has been one of Europe's most scintillating players over the past two seasons. PSG used their bargain €4 million buy-back clause to bring him back after a breakout year at PSV last summer and subsequently loaned him to RB Leipzig, where he has gone from strength to strength.
To date, Simons has notched a very respectable nine goals and 15 assists for the Red Bulls and this has, unsurprisingly, attracted attention. Leipzig, for their part, don't have a purchase option but they would like to keep the 21-year-old around for another season.
READ MORE: Arsenal & Chelsea told how much €150m 'next Mudryk' will really cost
STATS
Xavi Simons
AM (CRL)
Xavi Simons
AM (CRL)
RB Leipzig
Indeed, German media recently claimed that the Red Bulls are confident of achieving this and their chances will have only been boosted after demolishing Borussia Dortmund, their main rivals for Champions League qualification, at the weekend.
A La Masia product, Simons has also recently been linked with a return to Barcelona, but given the club's financial constraints, a move back to Catalunya appears unlikely at present. Finally, Mikel Arteta is said to be a massive admirer of the youngster, but it seems that a deal would be difficult even for an affluent side such as Arsenal.
Simons' future becoming clear
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, PSG are still in the process of drawing up a course of action for Simons. The French giants are as yet undecided on whether to integrate the tricky attacker into the team in the summer or whether to loan him back to Leipzig.
The latter, Jacobs claims, is a very distinct possibility, echoing reports coming out of Germany. A permanent departure, meanwhile, is seen as 'less likely' and would require an 'exceptional offer,' though Jacobs did not mention any specific financial details.
READ MORE: Arteta favourite at Arsenal could unlock three-year Man Utd transfer saga
Simons currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of a whopping €51.7m. PSG boss Luis Enrique recently revealed that he would be more than happy to have the Dutchman as part of his squad going forward. “He did wonders at PSV and now at Leipzig," the Spaniard said on Twitch in March.
"He has shown himself to be one of the best players in the team. He has ideal individual characteristics for a model and a philosophy like ours. I don’t know exactly the conditions in which he is loaned to Leipzig, but he could clearly be an interesting option for us. It will depend on the club.”
