Marco Asensio's agent Jorge Mendes is said to be 'testing the ground' for potential suitors as he searches for a January move away for his client. Arsenal have long been linked with a move for the Spaniard's signature but have so far failed to act on their reported interest.
Nicolas Pepe's loan move to Nice and Reiss Nelson's current injury means that Arsenal only have youngster Marquinhos available to replace Bukayo Saka on the right-hand side. There is of course the option to move Gabriel Jesus to the wing if needs be and play Eddie Nketiah through the middle, but that leaves the Gunners at risk of injuring or overplaying their only two credible centre-forward options.
A right-winger was targeted in the summer window, with the likes of Raphinha and Mykhaylo Mudryk strongly linked with a move to the Emirates, but Arsenal were subsequently priced out of any potential move. Nevertheless, Edu may be in the market for Mikel Arteta's ideal new winger and perhaps Asensio fits the bill - at least an injury-free Asensio does anyway.
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Calciomercato, as cited by HITC, claim that agent Mendes is attempting to get Asensio’s name out there ahead of a potential January move. Asensio is out of contract in 2023 and Mendes is seemingly checking whether clubs would pay a small fee in January or take the Spaniard for nothing next summer.
Asensio's injury record means that it's a gamble, but there were similar concerns when Real Madrid initially loaned the 26-year-old's former teammate, Martin Odegaard, to the Gunners. After a successful six month spell in red and white, Edu and Arteta decided the Norwegian was the right creator and subsequently purchased him for £35million. He's now the club's captain and that deal is looking more and more like a bargain.
Perhaps then, if Arsenal can agree on a deal for Asensio that works for them financially, it may be worth pursuing in the near future. Whilst there's the worry that he'll spend too much time on the physio table, there's no question that he's talented and his winning experience could be invaluable to this young and hungry Gunners outfit.
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