Arsenal are set to lose out on Barcelona attacker Pedro Rodriguez as his club are willing to offer him a new contract. Pedro’s current contract runs till June 2016, so the Spanish international has ample of time to decide if he wants to stay or move on. According to Mirror, the attacker will cost close to £10m.
Pedro had grown disillusioned after lack of game time last season and was prepared to move on, however, the 27-year old stayed at the club as manager Tata Martino was sacked and Luiz Enrique was brought in. Arsenal have suffered from injuries this season, and with Lukas Podolski set to leave in January, Wenger could make a bid for the versatile Barcelona player who can play in any position upfront.
Despite reports indicating that Barcelona want to keep the attacker, the emergence of Munir El Haddadi, Sandro Ramírez and the arrival of Luis Suarez, who is yet to play, will push Pedro down the pecking order. Subsequently, that might open the door for Arsenal who will want to strengthen in January after a disappointing start to the League that has seen them pick up only 2 wins after 7 games in the Premier League.
Pedro has made 7 appearances in all competitions so far, but after Suarez’s ban ceases to exist, one wonder how anyone will get into the team ahead of the Neymar-Suarez-Messi combination.
Pedro made his debut for Barcelona in 2008 after graduating from the famous La Masia academy. Since then, he has represented the club 174 times and scored 53 goals in the process. His best season was came in 2009 where he scored a total of 23 goals in 52 appearances and helped Barcelona win 7 unprecedented trophies under Pep Guardiola. His form in the last 2 season has petered off some what which has impacted his international career as he rarely starts a game for the Spanish national team.