ARSENAL are lining up a move for a player that has been dubbed ‘the new Emmanuel Adebayor’, according to reports.
Lacina Traore, a 19-year-old striker playing for Romanian outfit FC Cluj, stands at 6ft 6in and has been recommended to Arsene Wenger by Jean-Marc Guillou, who gave the Frenchman is first coaching break when he hired him as an assistant manager at Cannes.
According to the Daily Express, Cluj are demanding a fee in the region of £3.5m after turning down an offer of £1m plus add-ons from Napoli.
Traore, who is a graduate of Guilou’s Academie de Sol Beni in the Ivory Coast, has admitted it would be ‘a dream’ to play for the Gunners, however, he is not thought to be Wenger’s number one target to replace the injured Robin van Persie this month.
“It would be a dream for me to play on a team so great,” he told the newspaper. “I have a chance there because Arsene Wenger relied heavily on young players.
“There is great pressure on me now because I am being linked with big European clubs, but that is my ambition.
“The Ivory Coast has already told me I will get my chance with the national team, but my chances of that happening would certainly increase if I was to join a big team like Arsenal.
“It is sensational to hear Wenger is watching me. I could be a success in England. Even though I am still young, I have lots of experience and lots of ambition. Wherever I go it will be hard at first, but I’m sure I would settle in.”
Cluj also appear resigned to losing one of their star players. “He has great qualities, is over 6ft high and he is as fast as anything,” coach Andrea Mandorlini said in the Express. “Technically he is exceptional. He is very young but at his age it is hard to find players with these qualities.”
Club president Iuliu Muresan added: “We have had contact from Arsenal but we have not received a concrete offer yet. Four million euros is close to the amount we are seeking.”
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