Journalist shares Raul de Tomas update amid Arsenal interest

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Alvaro Montero has told Sky Sports News that Espanyol do not believe that Arsenal will make the kind of offer that will tempt the club into selling Raul de Tomas this month, with at least £50 million needed to sign the striker.

De Tomas has been linked with a potential Emirates move this week. It comes with Mikel Arteta’s side still looking for a new goalscorer in the January transfer window.

They have gone four games without a goal in all competitions. De Tomas meanwhile, has scored in each of his last four appearances in La Liga. Admittedly, that run also includes a red card.

It was reported in the last few days that Espanyol are aware that Arsenal want the 27-year-old. He has been scouted regularly in recent weeks.

His record this season is superb. Only Karim Benzema has found the back of the net more often in the top-flight this term. De Tomas has 12 goals in 21 appearances.

His form has also seen de Tomas included in the Spain squad for the first time. He made his debut for Luis Enrique’s men in November.

But Arsenal fans hoping to see the former Real Madrid man end up at the Emirates look set to be disappointed. Montero suggested that everything he has heard points to the striker staying put.

“As far as I know, I’ve been asking in Barcelona, his entourage say he wants to stay in the club,” he told Sky Sports News.

“If Arsenal pay €60 or €70 million, of course they will sell him. But they believe that that is not going to happen so the player is going to stay.”

Arsenal running out of options amid bleak de Tomas update

As the deadline gets closer, Espanyol are surely likely to start demanding a fee much nearer to the £58.5 million end of the scale Montero mentioned.

Certainly, Arsenal may struggle to justify paying that for de Tomas in this window. He has been superb this season. But he has spent the large majority of his career to date playing in the second tier in Spain.

With that, Arsenal appear to be running out of potential options. Fans will definitely fear the window closing without a new striker coming in at this stage.