Boost For Manchester United And Arsenal As £30m Midfielder Is Open To Premier League Move

Manchester United and Arsenal have received a huge boost as Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho is reportedly unsettled in France and could angle for a move come January or the next summer.

Reports have emerged that Moutinho could move to the Premier league although he will cost a hefty fee of £30m as he signed a contract with the French club a year and half ago which will keep him at the club until 2018.

Both Arsenal and United were linked with the former Porto man in the past but couldn’t sign him as Monaco were on a mission to strengthen after being promoted to the 1st division of the French league. Since then, the likes of James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao have departed the club with the latter on a loan move. Arsenal are probably in a better position to sign the 28-year old as the have missed a good dynamic central midfielder on the pitch this season. The likes of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini have been decent but are approaching the age where mobility will become an obvious issue. With the Sami Khedira deal unlikely to happen, Moutinho could be a better option for Arsene Wenger.

At 28, Moutinho is probably at the peak of his career and he will not get a better time to join the Premier league. He has made 17 appearances in all competitions for Monaco this season and has managed to score three goals. He is also a mainstay in the Portuguese national setup with 75 caps to his name since making his debut in 2005. Another key factor about Moutinho is his injury record. The Arsenal fans will want someone with a good injury record and Moutinho definitely fits that bill ahead of Khedira who has had a poor injury record in the past few years.

United are being linked with Moutinho despite vice-chairman Ed Woodward revealing that they will not spend heavily in January. With that in mind, it’s unlikely that they will approach Monaco for Moutinho in the winter transfer window.