Arsenal Transfer News: £25m Jovetic To Replace Van Persie

By Simon Gallagher / July 9, 2012

the Daily Express, Arsene Wenger has identified the player - who was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea last week - as the ideal replacement for Robin Van Persie who expressed his refusal to sign a new deal at the Emirates in a tumultuous 7 days for the North London side last week. Arsenal will need to move for the Montenegrin soon, with cash-rich Paris St-Germain and Manchester City interested, as well as European giants Juventus and Barcelona likely to seriously consider shelling out the necessary £25million or so for Robin van Persie, and any move leaving a huge hole in the Arsenal squad. And with Jovetic said to have a £25m release clause in his Fiorentina contract, he might be the ideal solution to the problem, with zero capital outlay needed to secure his signature when Van Persie moves on. He will however face competition from Spurs, who are likely to have as much as £30m to spend from Luka Modric's expected move, and Chelsea, for whom money remains a lesser concern. Wenger continues to attract criticism for a perceived unwillingness to spend money, but has proved in the last two windows that if players are available for the right price he will invest (even if some of those signings proved to be disappointing). He has apparently made Jovetic his number one replacement for Van Persie, with Borussia Dortmund€™s Robert Lewandowski believed to be next on the list. Arsenal have already added Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud to the squad, but Jovetic is as comfortable supporting the front-line from a deeper lying role as he is playing as a striker, so he would offer different options. And with four disappointing strikers currently on the books in the shape of , Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, Carlos Vela and Park-Chu Young, the squad's depth is not what it could be. What do you think Arsenal fans? Would Jovetic be a smart replacement for Van Persie? Share your thoughts below...