Unai Emery makes ‘personal call’ to Ever Banega as Arsenal pursues the midfielder

Ever Banega is linked with Arsenal ever since Jack Wilshere confirmed his departure from the club.

Arsenal have been quite active in the transfer market this season, as they have already completed the signings of veteran defender Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus, and Bern Leno from Bayer Leverkusen.

While Arsenal are strongly linked with the transfer of Borussia Dortmund’s defender Sokratis Papasthatopoulos, reports emerge that the Gunners are also targeting Ever Banega from Sevilla.

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The Argentine midfielder is currently in Russia, representing his team in the World Cup. He made his appearance as a substitute in Argentina’s first game against Iceland.

Arsenal are set to bolster the midfield for this season, more so because of the departure of Jack Wilshere from the club. The Gunners have been increasingly linked with Yacine Adli and Adrien Rabiot, but Argentina’s Ever Banega seems to be the front-runner for Arsenal’s third signing this summer.

Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo reports that Arsenal’s manager Unai Emery has made a personal phone call to Sevilla and Argentina midfielder to pursue him for a transfer.

Earlier, Gazzetta dello Sporto also reported that Unai Emery is interested in bringing the Argentine midfielder to England’s capital.

The Arsenal manager has worked with Banega during his time at Sevilla. Ever Banega was central to Sevilla’s team which won back-to-back Europa League titles under Emery, in 2015 and 2016.

Ever Banega has been a first-team regular for Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Sevilla throughout his playing career. He was central to Sevilla’s win against Manchester United in the round-of-16 match in the Champions League.

While Arsenal are approaching the midfielder, it is also reported that they’re close to sign Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund. According to Express, the club is set to announce the signing next month.