Arsenal & Wolves Eye Move for Valencia's Maxi Gomez
By Tom Gott
Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the sides keeping an eye on Valencia striker Maxi Gomez, who could be made available for transfer in January.
Valencia had a fire sale in the summer to raise some much-needed funds, with the likes of Ferran Torres, Rodrigo, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin all leaving.
Predictably, after such an upheaval, Valencia have struggled in La Liga this season.
Javi Gracia's side currently sit down in 13th in La Liga and still find themselves desperate to raise money to combat the impact of COVID-19, and the Daily Mail believe that Gomez could be a likely casualty in January.
The 24-year-old, who came close to joining West Ham United before joining Valencia, is said to be on the radars of both Arsenal and Wolves, while Manchester City, Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham have all monitored Gomez in the past.
He comes with a £125m release clause but is not expected to command anywhere close to that figure as Valencia are keen to get a quick sale over the line.
Both Arsenal and Wolves may be interested in adding some more firepower in January. The Gunners' return of ten goals this season is the worst of any side not in the Premier League relegation zone, while Wolves need to fill the void left by Raul Jimenez, who was recently discharged from hospital after fracturing his skull.
Wolves are expected to be in the market for a new striker in January, and Football Insider believe that former Shanghai SIPG forward Hulk could be the man after being offered to Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Both teams will continue to evaluate all their options, but it appears as though both have been intrigued by the idea of landing Gomez, whose return of 13 goals in 53 appearances for Valencia doesn't exactly tell the whole story.
Some scouts view Gomez as one of the finest strikers on offer in La Liga, although others have concerns about his work rate off the ball.
There will likely be more suitors for Gomez if he does hit the market in January, when top players are usually off the table, and it could all come down to just how much Valencia are prepared to lower their demands.