It appears that Arsenal have reached an agreement with Real Madrid over the signing of midfielder Sami Khedira as the North London side have met the La Liga side’s valuation of the German international. It is understood that the Gunners will pay £23m for the 27 year old and he has been offered a four year contract. Any transfer was said to depend on whether Arsenal could match his £150,00 a week wage demands which have perviously deterred other clubs, whether they have or not remains to be revealed.
With only a year left on his current Real Madrid contract there appears no time like the present for the Spanish giants to sell Khedira. His impressive performance in the FIFA World Cup has added to his value and if Real Madrid aren't to sell him now his value will significantly decrease once the current transfer window has closed. Infact, there could even be the very real possibility that the midfielder could leave on a costless transfer next summer which has lead Ancelotti to cash in while he can.
Chelsea have also been keen on signing Khedira as Jose Mourinho was the man who bought the player back to the spanish capital back in July 2010. However, Arsenal are thought to have won the race to bring in the tough tackler. A deciding factor in the successful chase has been Arsenal star Mesut Ozil, a close friend of Khedira’s. Ozil has tried for some time to convince fellow compatriot and former Real Madrid teammate to join him at the Emirates. Whilst on international duty, the presence of fellow countrymen Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker is sure to have aided the clubs pursuit. The capture of Khedira may lead to veteran Gunner Mikel Arteta departing the Emirates this summer or at least having a much more limited role in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven as the holding midfielder becomes the long term replacement.
With terms being agreed between club and player, the Gunners boss may well be ready to officially announce the deal on Monday morning when Khedira’s involvement in the World Cup will come to an end. If he does join Arsenal then it shows that Wenger is again able to compete for the world’s best players having already landed Alexis Sanchez.
