by Nia Griffiths

Could out of favour Liverpool target, Asier Illarramendi, could find himself at Arsenal next season?

I doubt it.

Real Madrid defensive midfielder Asier Illarramendi appeared 41 times for the La Liga giants last season but struggled to get any full matches under his belt. It’s now been revealed that coach Rafa Benitez is trying to offload the player, as his services are no longer required at the club.

Liverpool are supposedly the favourites to sign the 25-year-old. However, as ever, Arsenal are now being linked with hijacking the transfer.

Of course, this rumour has probably come about because it seems that the Morgan Schneiderlin deal has fallen through, making it clear we are in the market for a defensive midfielder. Therefore, expect us to be linked to any Tom, Dick or Harry that may – or may not – be available in that position.

In the case of Illarramendi, if he is looking to leave Madrid, this could be just his agent trying to generate some noise around his client.