Newcastle pursue high-profile signing of £20m-rated PL midfielder, West Ham also keen- report
By Russell Edge
Newcastle and West Ham are both vying for the signature of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere this summer, according to a report.
The Telegraph claim that the Premier League duo are joined by top flight rivals Swansea City in the hunt for the 25-year-old, who is said to be valued at £20million by the Gunners.
They state that the North London side have made the 34-time-capped England international available for transfer this summer, with just a year left on his existing contract.
It is reported that West Ham is the player’s first choice destination, but the club would only consider a loan deal for the midfielder, with his previous injury problems posing too much of a risk to the club to sign him up permanently.
However, Arsenal would rather keep him at the club than send him on loan, with a permanent transfer the only option they are willing to accept.
For Newcastle, it is claimed that they view Wilshere as a high-profile signing, and his Premier League experience would make him desirable to manager Rafael Benitez.
However, the £20million valuation would mean that the Magpies would have to break their transfer record this summer, something they have not done since the £16million spent on Michael Owen in 2005.
Swansea meanwhile are said to view Wilshere as a potential replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson, but there are concerns about their ability to meet his £90,000-a-week wage demands.
Football Insider verdict
The status of Wilshere is likely to be a sage which drags on for the majority of the summer transfer window. Arsenal’s £20million asking price is way over what they should be demanding for a player with a history of serious injuries and just a year left on their contract. However, they seem reluctant to offload him this summer, but that could change as the window drags on, or if Arsene Wenger brings in any new midfielders. As for the player, he needs to guarantee himself first team football ahead of next summer’s World Cup, and he could get that from any of the three aforementioned clubs. For him, it should come down to where he is going to be supported, which manager works best for him, and where he wants to spend his future.
In other Newcastle transfer news, the Magpies are on the verge of securing the exit of this midfielder.
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