Arsenal Reportedly Interested in Signing £30M Andre Gomes from Barcelona

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery is reportedly keen to sign out-of-favour Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes as he continues his preparations for his first season in charge of the Gunners. 

According to Miguel Delaney of The Independent, Barca are likely to ask for a fee of around £30 million for the Portuguese, and Emery is prepared to sanction the sales of other players to fund the move if the books need to be balanced.

Gomes, 24, joined Barca from Valencia in a €55 million deal in 2016 but has largely flopped in his two seasons at the club.

He has failed to nail down a first-team spot, starting just six La Liga games last season as the Blaugrana won the title under Ernesto Valverde.

However, per Delaney, Emery believes Gomes has qualities that could help him thrive in the new Arsenal style he is set to install.

It has long been expected that Gomes will leave the Camp Nou this summer, and although there have been reports Barca will want around £30 million, Arsenal could well negotiate the price down, per Sport Witness:

He is surplus to requirements, and Barca are likely to be eager to get him off their books.

Despite his struggles with Barcelona, Gomes could be an astute purchase for Arsenal, who need more quality in their engine room, with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny underwhelming at times.

There is a reason a club as big as Barca paid big money to sign Gomes two years ago after impressing at Valencia.

At his best, the Portugal international is strong on the ball and can dictate play from the middle of the park.

If Emery feels he can get the best out of him, Gomes is a sensible target for Arsenal, especially given their relative financial constraints.