Arsenal eyeing swoop for ex-Chelsea ace Filipe Luis as Atletico Madrid deal runs down
Gunners linked for January move for Brazilian international as Unai Emery continues to look to overhaul his squad at the Emirates
ARENAL have been linked with a surprise move for Atletico Madrid star Filipe Luis in January.
Former Chelsea defender Luis is currently in the final year of his contract the the La Liga club and there are doubts whether he will extend his stay at the end of the season.
And the claim that could see Arsenal boss Unai Emery make a move to take the 33-year-old when the transfer window opens in January.
Luis was targeted by Paris Saint-Germain in the summer as boss Thomas Tuchel looked to add more quality to his squad.
But that deal broke down when Atletic stuck to their guns and demanded a fee of around £27million for the left-back.
PSG were only prepared to offer £4.5m to get a deal done, believing that was a fair price for a player of his age approaching the final year of his contract.
Luis spoke with Atleti about the situation, and when the club made it clear they did not want him to leave in the summer he agreed to abide by their wishes.
But by the time the window opens in January he will be entering the last six months of his planned stay in Madrid and as yet there is nothing in place to extend his career.
The article claims former PSG boss Emery has also been a long-term admirer of the player, who struggled to make any real impact in the Premier League when he spent a year at Chelsea in 2014-15.
Luis often found himself playing second choice to Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back and was sold back to Atletico a year after he arrived.
Most read in football
But Emery knows his game well and the suggestion is he believes the Brazilian could strengthen his defensive options at the Emirates.
Nancho Monreal is the current first choice in that position, but his contract with the club rujns out at the end of the season with no decision yet made on his future.
And his understudy Sead Kolasinac has still not convinced that he has the all round game to be a success in the Premier League.