Arsenal will finally make a firm bid for QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar, according to The Metro.
The player himself is desperate to leave the Championship club, who are equally happy to offload his £70,000-a-week wages.
Arsenal are willing to pay the £1.5m asking price, and meet the reliable stopper’s wage demands, after years of goalkeeper swapping in north London/
Since German goalkeeper Jens Lehman left the club in 2008, Arsenal have tried Manuel Almunia, Lukas Fabianski, Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny between the sticks, but only Szczesny has come close to consistently impressing the Arsenal faithful.
But boss Arsene Wenger’s patience with him though appears to be wearing thin, and there have been calls from fans all summer to sign an experienced goalkeeper.
Cesar appears to fit the bill perfectly, and had a good season with QPR, despite their bottom-placed-finish. He also had a fantastic tournament at the Confederations Cup with Brazil last month and is firmly established as the Selecao’s number one.
The 33-year-old has won 74-caps with next summer’s World Cup hosts, and is good value at just £1.5m.
Another option for Arsenal if the Cesar deal were to fall through could be Liverpool’s Pepe Reina. The Anfield club signed Simon Mignolet for £9m from Sunderland earlier this summer, and it is unlikely the Spaniard will be content to sit on the bench in the run up to the World Cup.
At 30, he would offer a more long-term solution for Wenger, who reportedly has a large transfer budget to play with this summer.
Who would Arsenal fans prefer in goal next season?
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