Santi Cazorla to Atletico Madrid: Arsenal midfielder linked with exit along with Nacho Monreal

The Spanish duo are reportedly targets for the La Liga champions

Simon Rice
Thursday 24 July 2014 16:13 BST
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Santi Cazorla shows off Arsenal's new away kit
Santi Cazorla shows off Arsenal's new away kit (GETTY IMAGES)

Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal have emerged as targets for La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

The Arsenal duo are being lined-up by Diego Simeone as he looks to rebuild a squad that has been decimated since they won the title in May. Top goal scorer Diego Costa and left-back Filipe Luis have both joined Chelsea whilst more departures have not been ruled out.

That has led Atletico to look towards the Arsenal pair.

Despite being a firm favourite among fans following his arrival from Malaga in 2012, Cazorla's place in the Arsenal side looks precarious. Arsene Wenger has a plethora of options in offensive midfield positions, with Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and now Alexis Sanchez competing for positions.

The 29-year-old Spain international has even hinted about a possible exit when last month he revealed he had spoken to fellow footballers about Atletico.

For Monreal, his arrival (also from Malaga) has not been a great success with the 28-year-old struggling for appearances after slipping behind Kieran Gibbs who excelled last season at left-back.

Monreal joined Arsenal in an £8m deal (GETTY IMAGES)

It's thought that Wenger may be tempted to cash in on the pair should Atletico Madrid firm up their interest with a serious offer.

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