Arsenal legend reveals important detail about the club's Bradley Barcola chances

Arsenal are seemingly yet to decide who to turn to after missing out on Vinicius Junior, but they might just have been given some encouragement regarding one specific target.

Evidently, acquiring a left-sided forward is a priority for Andrea Berta in this window. The Italian sporting director, backed by ownership and Mikel Arteta, submitted a lucrative proposal to Vinicius which would've made the Brazilian the most highly-paid player at the North London club, and by some distance.

This willingness to outlay a huge sum on a global superstar clearly highlights how desperate Berta is to improve Arteta's squad in this department. However, since Vinicius put pen to paper on a new deal at Real Madrid, few concrete links have emerged.

Every single possible target is flawed in one way or another, making the decision extremely difficult for Arsenal's chief transfer operator.

That said, they may have received a boost in their pursuit of Bradley Barcola.

Perry Groves says Bradley Barcola wants to move to London

Barcola has long been mooted as an option for Arsenal. The Frenchman may have played a significant role in helping Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League title in each of the last two seasons, but he was always left somewhat on the periphery of Luis Enrique's squad, picked behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.

This has prompted the 23-year-old to reportedly turn down a new contract offer at the Parc des Princes, as he seeks a more prominent role elsewhere. He has two years left on his current deal, and thus, PSG are said to be willing to cash in this summer.

Liverpool have emerged as the frontrunners to land Barcola, taking the driving seat whilst Arsenal diverted their attention to Vinicius. However, speaking on talkSPORT on Sunday, Gunners legend Perry Groves revealed that a source of his informed him that Barcola wants to live in London and would therefore favour a switch to the Emirates.

"I've got a source that says he wants to live in London," Groves said.

"I've got a source. I've got a mole. Barcola wants to live in London."

While this isn't definitive reporting by any means, Groves is likely well connected to his former club and is unlikely to be relaying this information on national radio if he doesn't have faith in the source providing him with this scoop.

That said, whilst it's natural for a player coming from Paris to favour residing in London over Liverpool, this doesn't necessarily mean it'll be the only factor that influences his decision.

Arsenal fans should be excited by Groves' Barcola update

By the sounds of it, Barcola may be open to a move to Liverpool, but if Arsenal come knocking, he'll be N5-bound instead.

However, the elephant in the room is the price PSG are demanding. £140 million has been mooted, and whilst no potential suitor is likely to reach this figure, he certainly won't come cheaply. That said, as shown by multiple transfer sagas this summer, player power is real.

If Arsenal express concrete interest in Barcola to his representatives, and agree personal terms in principle, then the France international could agitate for a move. If he agitates aggressively enough, this is certain to bring the price down.

If he really has his heart set on a move to North London, it could definitely happen, and Arsenal fans should therefore be excited by this.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow