Marc Cucurella excelled for Getafe this season (Getty Images)
According to Sport Witness (h/t The Mirror), Arsenal are ready to pay £21m for Barcelona’s Marc Cucurella, who currently plies his trade with Getafe on loan.
Cucurella, 21, joined Barcelona’s U17 side in 2012 from Espanyol and featured in just one game for the La Liga giants before moving to Eibar. He was re-signed by the Catalans last summer and was immediately sent to loan to Getafe.
Last season, while on loan at Eibar, he made 33 appearances for the Spanish outfit. In the process, he scored and assisted twice each. He has improved a lot this campaign and has surpassed his previous season’s tally with 1 goal and 6 assists for Eibar.
The youngster has quickly developed himself and attracted from several clubs including Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, as per the report.
The Spanish U21 international is known for his versatility as he is capable of playing anywhere on the left flank. Predominantly a left-midfielder, Cucurella has featured in the defence and also as a left-winger on several occasions for Getafe and Eibar.
He has potential and could be a smart signing for Mikel Arteta’s side given his young age. Versatility is a quality that is always beneficial to a team and Arsenal would not be an exception.
Arteta has changed the fortunes of the club since his arrival. Despite starting the season in an unacceptable way under Unai Emery, the Gunners have revamped and are looking for European qualification.
A narrow 3-2 win over Everton has put them in 9th place in the league standings and with consistency, they can surely end up in a higher place. However, the manager should look to strengthen the squad before the start of the new season and Cucurella should be signed.
Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac have faced a lot of injury issues and the manager has turned towards Bukayo Saka to cover the left-back area. He has done well so far despite playing in a different position. Therefore, signing Cucurella would allow the manager to move Saka to his natural position.
The Spanish youngster, who can also play at left-midfield, would be an interesting option in that area.
Cucurella is an all-round talent that the Gunners should not miss out on. His inclusion would add depth to the squad. He is in the form of his life and can only get better by playing at a higher level. Therefore, Arsenal must go ahead in the race to sign him and lure him to the Emirates as early as this summer.
