Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Pre-FA Cup Match Rumours and Gossip

Edinson Cavani has cast doubts over a potential move to Arsenal this summer, insisting that he is happy at Paris Saint-Germain and excited about the team’s future.

As noted by David Wright of the Express, the Uruguay international has been linked with a host of the Premier League’s biggest names—including Liverpool and Manchester United as well as the Gunners—in a potential £50 million move.

But despite perennial rumours regarding his future, it doesn’t look as though Cavani wants to go anywhere at the end of the season, per Wright’s piece:

"

Today I'm great here in Paris. My family and I are happy and every time they come and watch me play, they enjoy.

We have a great team. Like I said, there is a nice project backing the club and I’m finding my way in Paris. I want to give them the best. I hope I can give the best to this club and repay the confidence the president placed in me when he signed me. 

"

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Cavani has struggled to show his very best form since making a money-spinning move to the French capital from Napoli back in the summer of 2013.

Typically, the 28-year-old has been deployed in a wide position to accommodate the effervescent attacking talents of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and as we can see here courtesy of Matthew Stanger of Sky Sports, the pair don’t typically flourish in the same team:

For Cavani, a spell at the point of the attack could do plenty for his development, but with Zlatan in situ, that’s not something that will be happening any time soon.

At a club like Arsenal, he surely has the requisite quality to command a starting spot in the team, and with that in mind—despite the aforementioned quotes—a summer switch may be tempting.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Arsenal could probably do with an upgrade in the striking department, too. Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck are capable forwards, but neither is a player you would bracket as world class. Cavani has showcased throughout his career that he’s a talent worthy of that kind of branding, however.

Here’s a look at why:

Nonetheless, Arsenal shouldn’t and probably won’t pursue this deal. Wenger is notoriously tight-fisted when it comes to shelling out on players, and it’s very difficult to see him spending such an extortionate sum on a player who is 28 years old.

As noted by WhoScored.com, Cavani isn’t the poacher that this Arsenal team is crying out for either:

Jackson Martinez is a man who might better fit that particular description, and Wenger has stoked rumours regarding a pursuit of the Porto man by lavishing him with praise in an interview with beIN Sports (h/t Luke Augustus of the Mail Online):

"

[He has] top physical strengths. Hugely efficient, he is the kind of player who can make room for himself in the box.

He could play in the Premier League because he has the body to make the difference. He uses it in a very intelligent way. Very short back lift and he's a very good finisher.'

He's on the list of many clubs, you know that. He will be the next big transfer who will give a big smile to Pinto da Costa [Porto's owner].

"

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Martinez has been an eminent threat at the sharp end of the Porto team this season and, at the time of writing, has rattled in 21 goals in all competitions this season, per WhoScored.com. As noted by the Portista account, the rumbustious Colombian has been the standout player in Portuguese football for a while now:

"

Jackson Martínez has been named the LPFP Player of the Month for January; the 2nd month in a row. #FCPorto pic.twitter.com/5NsRSfKlJJ

— Portista (@FCPortoWorld) February 12, 2015"

As is the case with Cavani, it’s difficult to see Arsenal moving for this talented centre-forward. He too is 28 years old, and as Wenger himself noted, Porto are a team that typically get a considerable sum for their players.

Martinez would certainly add a physical edge to the Gunners’ play and a forensic goalscoring streak to complement those dynamic traits.

With that in mind, he might represent better value for money than Cavani in the summer, but expect Wenger to move for a younger, cheaper player at the end of the season if he sees bolstering his forward options as a priority.