Arsenal Transfer News: Sami Khedira Opens Door, Pedro Exit Rumours Grow

The future of Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira may not be quite as cut and dry as many first thought, with the reported Arsenal target revealing he has yet to sign a contract with any club, as he plans for life away from the Spanish capital.

The German international admitted to German magazine Kicker (h/t Marca) he will leave the European champions at the end of the season but has denied an agreement with a club is already in place:

"

It's not a decision against Real Madrid. I want to start a new stage in my career and continue to grow.

There's no agreement with anyone nor do I have a preference to go anywhere at the moment.

I've had a magnificent time in a magnificent team. I'll do everything I can to keep helping the team in the coming weeks.

"

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As noted in the piece, Schalke, Chelsea and the Gunners are all reportedly interested in the 27-year-old. In a separate piece, Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa of Marca also cites interest from the Emirates outfit, but he claims there are teams from Serie A that are looking at landing the German international.

Here is a preview of the kind of qualities he would add:

For Arsenal, Khedira would be a dream purchase. The base of the Gunners’ midfield has long been without an enforcing, indomitable, defensive presence, and it’s an area Wenger must address in the summer, even if it means spending big money.

In terms of playing style, Khedira ticks all the boxes, so landing him on a free transfer would represent remarkable business.

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Encouragingly, as noted by Alex Chaffer of FourFourTwo, despite a lack of game time at Madrid this season, the player’s hunger has been unabated:

Wenger should be willing to set aside some serious funds to address the perpetual problem in this area of the squad, but landing Khedira for no transfer fee would leave more funds for the Arsenal boss to fine-tune other areas of the team. The excess money could see him pursue another attacking player, with Barcelona’s Pedro touted as a potential prospect.

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According to Xavi Canals of Sport, the winger’s future is pretty precarious at the moment, especially given his contract situation:

"

He only has 18 months left on his contract, and this is the last summer when Barça would be able to sell him for a decent price.

Pedro would like to stay, but a lack of minutes and the risk of dropping out of the Spain squad may force him to leave.

"

Arsenal have been strongly linked with the winger in the past, per Jamie Sanderson of Metro, and after the transition Alexis Sanchez has made from Catalonia to north London, they may be tempted to pursue a player in a comparable predicament. After all, Pedro has a raw, direct streak to his play that would definitely give the Gunners a refreshing edge.

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But despite Barcelona’s magnificent results of late, the Spanish international has been woefully out of form, as noted by Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe in the Blaugrana’s recent 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano:

There’s still a classy player in there, though, and if Wenger does have money to spend after replenishing his defensive ranks he will surely fancy rekindling the form of the 27-year-old in a manner comparable to his former Barcelona team-mate. With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez ahead of Pedro in the Blaugrana pecking order, the Spaniard would surely jump at the chance, too.

Siu Wu/Associated Press

In terms of outgoings, the future of Wojciech Szczesny could be an intriguing story to follow this summer. After losing his spot in the first team to David Ospina recently, former Liverpool and Poland goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has suggested his compatriot may have to leave the Gunners in order to reach his potential, per Darren Lewis of the Mirror:

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It’s a serious matter.

If I were in his place, I would wonder whether there are still opportunities to arise at Arsenal and wouldn’t wait as long as Fabianski, because you can see that Arsene Wenger is firmly set on David Ospina.

"

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

While Szczesny is an undeniably talented goalkeeper, Ospina has provided a much more settled presence between the sticks for the Gunners. The Colombian is reliable, comfortable in commanding his area and has a very simplistic approach to his work. Szczesny is the antithesis of that: capable of producing moments of brilliance, but equally likely to cost his team with an erratic decision.

For a side like Arsenal that’s simply not good enough, and as such, it’s difficult to see Szczesny forcing his way back into this side.

A move would be ideal for the Pole, for the only way he’s going to fully eradicate this rashness from his game is by playing regular football; sadly for him, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that’s going to be available to him at the Emirates.