Arsenal Transfer News: Barcelona Will Regret Not Going After Robin Van Persie

Barcelona will regret not taking a shot at Arsenal superstar and captain Robin van Persie.

If van Persie isn't the biggest name on the transfer market, he's at the very least the most talked about, and that's for good reason. The Arsenal striker is simply incredible, scoring 30 goals and adding nine assists in Premier League play this season. He would undoubtedly be a marquee name for any team to bring on board.

Even a team as prolific as Barcelona would benefit greatly from his addition, yet according to a report from Wayne Veysey of goal.com, they are going to pass on the Gunner's star:

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But Barcelona made it clear they do not want to make a move for Van Persie despite a sensational campaign in which he scored 37 goals for Arsenal in all competitions, including 30 in the Premier League.

It is believed that the combination of Van Persie’s age—he turns 29 in August—and the expense of a £20 million transfer fee plus expected £10m-a-year salary have put off the Spanish giants, who are trying to cut their debts and rein in costs.

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While this may be the financially conservative way to go about things for Barcelona, this will undoubtedly be a regrettable decision.

The price is steep for the star, but the risk has to be worth the reward in this instance. It would be one thing if we were talking about a second-tier player, but van Persie is no ordinary player.

He's arguably one of the most dynamic strikers in the game, and even though the report cites age concerns, is 29 really that old?

Especially on a team that is as talented as Barca already is, he could have put them over the top.

He still possesses the ability to change the game and he can still obviously score a ton of goals, and that's not something that looks to be going away for some time. How could Barcelona not look at van Persie and imagine the possibilities for great success? They would be seemingly endless.

In the end it seems as if Barcelona is going to go their own way in regards to the Gunner's striker, and while this may be the safe move, it's going to sting when he proves them wrong.