Liverpool rejects Mascherano bid from Barcelona- Arsenal complete Squillaci transfer
Liverpool’s unhappy midfielder Javier Mascherano is still believed to be in demand in the transfer market, with the Spanish champions Barcelona making a bid for him. The Catalans are believed to have made an offer of 20 million Euros to Liverpool for the Argentine. However, it is reported that the reds have rejected this offer terming the price significantly below their expectations.
Barcelona’s offer is also believed to be broken down as: 15 million upfront and 5 million as various variables. Liverpool, however, maintains that they would not sell Mascherano unless their estimated value of 26 million Euros is met. Liverpool will play their next match against Manchester City on Monday, and the midfielder is not expected to feature in the game. Manager Roy Hodgson is believed to be in talks with the player and is trying to convince him to stay. Hodgson in a statement said that he is well aware of Mascherano’s request to leave, but he is convinced that if the player stays it would be great for him and the club. According to him, he understands that the Argentine is looking for a change, but he too has new plans for the club and Mascherano fits well in them.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are acting fast before the transfer window closes and their manager Arsene Wenger seems to have finally landed another defender Sebastien Squillaci. Earlier Sevilla had confirmed that they had accepted the offer from Arsenal. Squillaci flew to London on Sunday for a medical checkup to complete the move. The Spanish club, Sevilla, while confirming the deal in a statement posted on their official website said, “We have accepted the offer from Arsenal and the terms between the two clubs have been agreed upon. The transfer of Sebastien Squillaci would be completed following a successful medical test “.
Squillaci would be the 2nd defender signed by Arsenal. Earlier, Wenger, at the start of the transfer window had said that he would be looking for quality defenders. He let go of four defenders at the end of last season. William Gallas, Mikel Silvestre, Philippe Senderos and Sol Campbell left the club as their contracts had expired.
The 31-year old Squillaci had earlier requested his team Sevilla to be left out from the Europa league match, as he would have been cup tied. Now, he is available for Arsenal to play in the champions’ league. Squillaci was signed by Sevilla from Les Gones two years ago for 5.3 million pounds. Arsenal are reportedly going to pay them the same amount for the French player.
According to Wenger, Squillaci is just the right signing for Arsenal as he needed someone with experience in defense. He further added that losing three experienced defenders in one season is not easy for any club, while starting the season with a fresh new back line would be a tough task but he is confident that his new defensive pairing would click and achieve the desired results.
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