With the saga over Cesc Fabregas’ future at the Emirates rumbling on, both Arsenal and Barcelona are preparing bids for Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta, according to the Daily Mail.
The Spaniard’s future is in the balance, along with that of team mate Steven Pienaar, and the lure of Champions League football would be too hard to resist having been on Merseyside for five and a half years.
And wherever Fabregas ends up in September, it is more than likely Arteta will be at the other club.
This week, Barca had threatened to end their pursuit of the Gunners skipper and sign Arteta instead but Arsenal have annoyed the Catalans by doing the same.
Barca need to replace Yaya Toure, who joined Manchester City this summer, and while Fabregas is their number one choice Arteta would be a good enough replacement.
The same goes for the North London side, as Arsene Wenger has long been an admirer of the 28-year-old but Everton’s demands could prove too much for him.
David Moyes is likely to hold out for around £15-20 million as he struggles to keep hold of his best players.
