Arsenal eye transfer swoop for €22m South American superstar touted as Mesut Ozil’s replacement

Arsenal have identified River Plate midfielder Juan Quintero as a summer transfer target, with Mesut Ozil edging closer to the exit door.

According to Don Balon, Gunners boss Unai Emery is hoping to replace Ozil when the transfer window reopens in May, with his future at the Emirates Stadium now in major doubt after a difficult 2018-19 campaign which has seen him fall way down the pecking order at the club.

Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez had been Arsenal’s main target, but it looks increasingly likely that the Colombian will return to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer after his loan spell at Bayern Munich, rather than seek a move elsewhere.

Don Balon reports that the next man on Arsenal’s list is another Colombian star, Juan Quintero, who plays in South America with River Plate and could be available for as little as €22 million later in the year.