BARCELONA have joined Arsenal in the race for Lille midfielder Renato Sanches’ signature, according to reports.
Lille confirmed in October that they will allow the 24-year-old to leave the club in January if a suitable offer emerges.
Reports in France at the time suggested that Arsenal were prepared to make an offer of around £25million for the Portuguese midfielder.
However, the Gunners may now face some competition from Spanish giants Barcelona who are also eyeing up a move for the star.
According to Portuguese broadcaster ELEVEN, Sanches has become a ‘priority signing’ for Xavi.
Barcelona have already named Ferran Torres as their first signing of the window, but they are hoping to make a few more additions in a bid to climb up the LaLiga table.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are currently in the market for another midfielder to fill in the gap left by Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny who will both compete in the Africa Cup of Nations this month.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles could also be unavailable after rumours began circulating about a potential loan move to Roma.
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Sanches first caught everybody’s eye when he broke through at Benfica in 2015.
He then made a move to Bayern Munich in 2016 for a fee of around £35million, but his form took a huge dip.
In a bid to reignite his career he was then loaned out to Swansea City but did not live up to the high expectations of fans.
The midfielder was transferred to Lille in 2019 and has since found his form and guaranteed his spot in the starting XI.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk