Report: Arsenal pursuing deal for U21 European champion, £13.5m less than buyout clause

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Arsenal are reportedly pursuing a deal of around £22.5million for Marc Roca, whose buyout clause is £36million, according to Calciomercato.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is believed to be a keen admirer of the Espanyol defensive midfielder and, according to The Express, wants to bring him to the Emirates Stadium in the upcoming transfer window.

Roca has come through the ranks at Espanyol and has made 108 competitive senior appearances for them, but is being tipped to leave at the end of the season, with the Catalan team at the bottom of the La Liga table.

According to Daniele Longo in his latest video for Calciomercato, as translated by Sempre Milan, AC Milan are also interested in the 23-year-old.

However, they don’t appear to have gone beyond an initial enquiry, with uncertainty over who will definitely be head coach and sporting director for next season.

Arsenal could well make the most of Milan’s hesitation and are now potentially hoping to close a deal at €25million, despite the €40million release clause in Roca’s contract.

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Roca is a high-calibre midfielder with excellent vision and passing range, both long and short, plus nimble footwork and quick thinking, and has been compared to Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso in the past, according to Football London.

He went into the 2019-20 campaign having helped Spain triumph at the 2019 Under-21 European Championship, starring at the base of the midfield alongside Dani Ceballos and Fabian Ruiz.

Roca would undoubtedly be an asset for Arsenal, but it remains to be seen whether Espanyol would be willing to sell one of their stars players for a huge £13.5million less than his buyout clause, a figure which would go a very long way in the Spanish second division if they do get relegated.