According to The Sun, Everton could miss out on signing Danny Welbeck this summer as Arsenal are considering offering the 28-year-old a new deal. Football Insider say Everton are looking to sign Welbeck on a free transfer, but Arsenal could throw a spanner in the works.
The Gunners might be forced to keep Welbeck as they won’t have a big enough transfer kitty to fully bolster the squad next season – Unai Emery could be handed only £40m to spend if Arsenal finish outside of the Champions League places. It’s a blow for Everton, Newcastle and West Ham United.
Welbeck is out of contract this summer and looked set to depart after spending the majority of the season sidelined with injury, but it appears Arsenal now have other ideas. The England international racked up just 604 minutes of playing time stretched over 14 appearances in the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup. He scored and created six goals.
According to Spotrac, Welbeck earns £6.5m-a-year/£125k-per-week at the Emirates Stadium, but The Sun say he’ll be in line for a paycut and an incentivised contract if he extends his deal with Arsenal. The 28-year-old’s injury woes have seen him miss 87 Premier League games in the last four seasons, so he’d be a gamble on a standard long-term contract.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Everton could miss out on Ligue 1 transfer-target, blow for Marco Silva – opinion