Arsenal Transfers: Nolito To Emirates Boost After Barca Link Cools?

Arsenal's chances of signing Celta Vigo forward Nolito have improved after new reports suggest Barcelona have cooled their interest in acquiring him. Nolito's excellent form for his club this season, where he has scored 8 times and contributed 5 assists in just 15 games, led to many in Barcelona to call him the favourite to provide forward back-up to the immense La Ligo trio of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. However, according to reports in the Mundo Deportivo, the ‚18 million fee Celta Vigo have slapped on their star man will prove to be too pricey for the La Liga champions, for whom Nolito was briefly on the books and made two appearances for the Catalan giants in the 2010/11 season, before being sold to Benfica.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has this week also claimed that Arsenal will be put off from Nolito's fee, which the Daily Star claimed to be around £12.6 million. Balague insists that kind of price tag won't convince Wenger that 28-year-old Nolita is value for money. He is quoted as saying; "I know for a fact that Arsenal don't want him. "They feel for 18m euros (12.6m), it's not what they're looking for. So instead of me answering, that's Arsenal answering for you." A regular in Vicente del Bosque's Spanish squad, Nolito's versatility means he can operate either on the wing or as a centre-forward.