Arsenal may have the chance to finally complete a deal for highly-rated Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler this summer, having shown an interest in him during the past two summer transfer windows. The Spaniard will have just one year remaining on his deal in La Liga come the end of the season and a new contract appears to be unlikely.
Mikel Arteta is clearly an admirer of the 25-year-old and has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his midfield unit during the summer transfer window. While Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka have impressed on occasion as a duo, there remains little depth in that area at the Emirates while the future of Xhaka still remains up in the air.
Now, BBC Sport have reported that a number of Premier League clubs are once again monitoring the player ahead of the window and it would be no surprise if the Gunners are among them again. Soler currently has a £125 million buyout clause but given his contract situation, the report states that a much lower offer could be accepted.
"In a country renowned for its seemingly unending production line of world-class midfielders, 25-year-old star Carlos Soler is the latest Spanish player to attract a queue of suitors from the Premier League's elite clubs," Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague wrote in his column.
"Already the beating heart of the Valencia midfield, the young, affable, born and bred Valenciano currently has a buy-out clause of 150m euros (£125m).
"But with just about 14 months on his current deal and not much progress made on contract extension talks, a move from the cash-strapped club from Spain's third city looks more likely by the day if they are to avoid losing him for free at the end of next season."
This season has seen Soler net 11 goals and contribute five assists, even being handed the captain's armband on more than one occasion. On paper, he appears to be the perfect profile for Arteta's side and previous comparisons to the likes of David Silva and Arsenal favourite Santi Cazorla will only make a potential deal more attractive, although the player is not convinced by the comparisons.
“There’s your headline!” he recently said in an interview with The Guardian when the comparisons were put to him. “You’re putting me alongside Cazorla or Juan and David? Nah.
"Look, it’s a compliment. They’re players with that ‘pause’ that maybe the Premier League didn’t have. It’s all so mad, so physical, that if you can adapt to the intensity and then make the right decision, find the right space, that gives you something. Football is ever more physical but the player that ‘arrives’, that filters the final pass can adapt well, like Pablo Fornals, say.”
