Arsenal are ready to break the bank to bring Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have money burning a hole in their pocket following the £35m sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and they are expected to lose the services of Samir Nasri to either Manchester City or Manchester United in the coming days for between £22-25m. With the club having registered just one goal in 270 minutes of football in all competitions this season and the requisite experience and leadership conspicuous by its absence in the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, manager Arsene Wenger has come under intense pressure from the club’s fans to invest some of the transfer funds received into acquiring proven talent.
Wenger has insisted that he is happy to spend if the price is right and the player in question will enhance the squad and he is known to consider Schweinsteiger as just such a player. The 27-year-old is the mainstay of both the Bayern Munich and Germany midfield and is equally capable in attacking or defensive vein, versatility that is highly valued by a manager that likes to play a fluid brand of football.
Having only signed a contract extension at the Allianz Arena last autumn – offered to him to stave of interest from Chelsea – it had seemed impossible to prise Schweinsteiger from Bavaria. However, he has come in for criticism from club legends Franz Beckenbauer and Oliver Kahn over the team’s indifferent start to the season and is reportedly unhappy at the an attack that he feels is unwarranted.
With time running out until the transfer window slams shut on August 31st, Arsenal will place a bid for the unhappy star if they successfully negotiate a tricky away match at Udinese on Wednesday and qualify for the griup stages of the Champions League. However, the Gunners will almost certainy have to offer around £30m for the man affectionately known as ‘Schweini’ and it remains to be seen whether Wenger’s new found largesse will stretch quite that far.
