Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Gunners Must Act Quickly to Land Ibrahim Afellay

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has shown interest in Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Afellay in the past, but he'll have to act quickly if he wants to acquire the talented Dutchman now.

Vittorio Campanile of Goal.com reports Barca would be willing to move Afellay and mentions Arsenal as a potential destination. He states Inter Milan is also considering making a run at him, however, which would make things a lot more difficult for Wenger.

Afellay has failed to make a significant impact at Camp Nou after a move during the January transfer window last year. He scored just two goals in 34 games across all competitions, often getting passed over on the team's stacked depth chart.

The 26-year-old Netherlands international doesn't lack talent, though. He features terrific pace and ideal technique, but he never seemed to find a comfort zone with Barcelona, so a move would allow him to get his career moving back in the right direction.

He would thrive in an environment where he would be a larger piece of the puzzle. That would certainly be the case with Arsenal, as the team will look to add more depth to its offensive attack after Robin van Persie carried most of the load last season.

What Wenger doesn't want is a bidding war with Inter Milan. That would cause the price to increase and leave the Arsenal boss with less resources moving forward when bigger needs arise, especially if Van Persie ends up leaving.

Now that rumors are starting to circulate that Afellay is available, you can bet other managers around Europe are at least going to consider him. And the more teams that get involved, the higher the price tag will end up being.

That means Wenger must starting working toward a deal right away if he's still interested. If he can secure a deal before other teams have a chance to react, there's a good chance he can get him at a bargain price—£4.75 million is the number mentioned in Campanile's report.

Anything in that general vicinity would be reasonable for a player with Afellay's upside. If he were to make a move to Emirates and excel, it would look like a steal. But that's not a guarantee after spending so much time on the sidelines due to injury last season, so the Gunners can't go much higher.

Wenger has done a pretty nice job overall during the transfer window, and Afellay would be another wise addition, if the price is right.

Time is of the essence, however.