This time last week all Arsenal fans had given up on signing the prolific Porto striker Jackson Martinez, with reports saying that the 28 year-old was just days away from agreeing to join AC Milan, but suddenly today Milan have decided to pull out of negotiations.
Amid talks of AC Milan spending above their means have unfolded, the Spanish giants have already been gazumped by their greatest rivals Inter Milan for the signing of Geoffrey Kondogbia, and it seems they have now decided they can no longer compete with other clubs (hopefully Arsenal!) to sign Martinez.
The Milan CEO Adrian Galliano tried to put a brave face on their failure to land two of their main targets when he was quoted as saying on La Gazzetta dello Sport: “If we save €40m on Kondogbia and €35m on Jackson Martinez, we will have another €75m to spend wisely over the rest of the transfer window,”
“Whether it is a good or a bad thing, only time will tell.”
It may be a bad thing for AC Milan, but this could be great news for Arsenal. Wenger has already told the world that Martinez would be perfect for the Premier League when he said back in February: “He has top physical strengths. Hugely efficient, he is the kind of player who can make room for himself in the box.
“He could play in the Premier League because he has the body to make the difference. He uses it in a very intelligent way. Very short back lift and he’s a very good finisher.’
“He’s on the list of many clubs, you know that. He will be the next big transfer who will give a big smile to Pinto da Costa [Porto’s owner].”
Could he also be set to give a big smile to all us Arsenal fans? Watch this space…..