In the space of two days it looks as if things have gone from bad to worse in Arsenal’s attempts to find an appropriate defensive signing.
Fresh from the recent bad news on Shkodran Mustafi, The Telegraph are now reporting that West Brom have put down a stunning valuation on their star man Jonny Evans.
According to the report, Tony Pulis has hit back at the Gunners interest by putting a £25million price tag on the 28-year-old, enough to scare away any approach.
Whilst Arsene Wenger remains confident in sealing the deal for Mustafi, the drawn out process of agreeing a fee is forcing him to have last-minute back-up available.
That’s where the experience of Evans steps in, with Wenger admiring the central defender from his success in the Premier League at Manchester United, Sunderland and West Brom.
But now it looks as if Pulis is taking advantage of Arsenal’s desperate situation by hiking their price to over four times the value of what he bought Evans for last summer.
The Baggies got themselves a bargain less than a year ago by capturing the Northern Ireland for £6million, and the club are reluctant to lose such a key player so close to the transfer deadline.
Pulis is a huge admirer of Evans and his recent comments suggest he’s not ready to let go of the defender for any price, but that could soon become a stumbling block Arsenal have to jump.
If they fail to land Mustafi in time then attention will turn to signing Evans, and there might not be much West Brom can do to stop him from leaving.
You get the feeling that this will be a second-choice target for Arsenal, but he will be bought for a better price than Mustafi, and he’s used to Premier League life.
Whilst a move for Evans may feel like a step backwards for the frustrated Gunners supporters, it would free up extra cash should Wenger go after a striker in the eight days he has left.
Want more Arsenal news like this? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!