Arsenal’s pursuit of Sporting Lisbon striker Tiago Tomas has been dealt a blow after the north Londoners failed to qualify for Europe next season, as per reports in The Sun.
The 18-year-old has worked his way to the top through the Portuguese side’s youth ranks. His manager Ruben Amorim has shown a great deal of faith in the youngster by playing him in 37 games across all competitions this season.
With doubts persisting over Alexandre Lacazette’s long-term future at the club, Arteta will be keen on adding some depth upfront next season.
The report in Sun states that the north Londoners have been in talks with Sporting for months. However, their failure to qualify for Europe will be a huge blow in their efforts to sign Tomas.
The young striker has signed a long-term contract last summer, which will keep him at the Portuguese club until 2025. The contract also consists of a £52million release clause, but there were hopes that a deal could be agreed for around £20million due to their financial situation.
The report further claims that the Lions are now in no rush of letting the striker leave the club, having just won the Liga NOS. They sense his valuation will rise in the coming seasons and would not hesitate to wait for another year to receive the right amount for the striker.
Arsenal Fever View:
The 18-year-old has been involved in 9 goals from 37 appearances(via Transfermarkt) for Sporting Lisbon this season. Despite predominantly playing as a striker, he can also play as a right-winger or a traditional number 10 with equal effect. This could provide versatility to the Gunners squad.
It would be ridiculous to pay the full release clause(£52m) for a player at such an early stage of his career. This would also put enormous pressure on the 18-year-old who would require an ample amount of time to adapt to the Premier League.
However, as the report stated if the Gunners can negotiate a deal in the £20-30m range, it would be worth the investment. The Emirates club are also looking to strengthen other areas of the pitch which require urgent addressing. So, to spend such huge money on a young striker might not be feasible at the moment.
The youngster would look to play at the highest level and his recent performances have also caught the eye of some European giants. Failure to provide European football could be a setback for the Emirates club in their pursuit of the Portuguese international.
