Could Arsenal move for shock Ozil-Lingard swap deal with Man United?
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As Manchester United continue to court the services of Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, reports this weekend suggest the Gunners might exact revenge by targeting the Red Devils’ Jesse Lingard.
As Arsenal and Ozil continue to stall over a new deal, United are hoping to pounce by launching a summer bid.
But while that isn’t exactly brand new information, the news that Arsenal are eying Lingard very much is.
The winger is yet to hold down a consistent starting place with the Old Trafford outfit, and the emergence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan gives further weight to the possibility of Lingard moving in the summer.
His pace and creativity would certainly fit well in Arsene Wenger’s 4-2-3-1 system, although few would argue he is of Ozil’s calibre.
But if reports are to be believed, the German is holding out for a major pay rise at the Emirates, alongside the Gunners’ other ace – Alexis Sanchez.
It’s believed that United are willing to sizeably enhance Ozil’s wages, with Arsenal happy to do the same for Lingard.
Direct moves between the two Premier League heavyweights have been few and far between, but Robin van Persie did ditch the Gunners four years ago to move to the Theatre of Dreams.
And United are no strangers to headline-grabbing swap-deals, with Newcastle’s Andy Cole and Keith Gillespie memorably swapping places in 1995.
While the reports may concern Arsenal fans, for now the club are in flying form, and head to Everton on the back of a 14-game unbeaten streak in the league.
Odds of 17/20 to win at Goodison Park suggests the London side are well placed to extend that run.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
