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Arsenal gifted boost in their pursuit of £63m-rated goalkeeper

Inconsistencies in 35-year-old Petr Cech’s usually assured gloves has warranted cries for change between the sticks at Arsenal, and as the Gunners are supposedly on the hunt for a new, younger number 1, the Evening Standard understands that the north-Londoners have been gifted a noteworthy boost in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s £63m-rated Jan Oblak.

Arsenal will seek to recruit stable, established professionals in the summer to spearhead their chase for supremacy in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign. Arsene Wenger’s men are currently 6th in the standings, 13 points behind local, bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who inhabit 4th, and a reliable shot stopper would prove to be a vital element in their search for a permanent antidote to their recent shortcomings both domestically and in Europe.

Oblak, 25, would certainly set Wenger’s mind at ease within the 18-yard box as the agile keeper – who joined Atleti in 2016 from Portuguese Liga NOS outfit SL Benfica for a fee rumoured to be worth €16m – has consummately tallied 86 clean sheetsin just 149 outings, a record which is invaluable to Diego Simeone’s squad’s prosperity.

To compliment his superb club record, Oblak has also managed to rack up 8 distinguished shut outs in 17 appearances for his national fold, a true mark of his imperious composure and stature on every possible platform he’s attributed to.

The greatly admired goalkeeper is contracted to Los Colchoneros until June 2021 and is an asset to the Spanish outfit, however amid growing speculation surrounding his future at the Wanda Metropolitano, Oblak is ultimately unsure to where he’ll be plying his trade next term.

“It’s tough to discuss the future.” He admitted.

“It’s not easy to talk about what’s going to happen tomorrow never mind what will happen next season, but I am calm and the situation depends on Atletico – nobody knows the future.

“There’s nothing new, there have been a lot of things said and written about a new contract but the only confirmed situation is that there is nothing new.

“I have a contract that I signed two years ago, but now I must wait to see what Atleti’s plan is.”

Oblak’s uncertainty regarding the pressing matter doesn’t necessarily point in Arsenal’s favour, but as the English giants are allegedly tailing his signature, it’ll certainly give ‘Le Prof’ and company an extra sense of hunger in the race for his studied services behind the defensive contingent.

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