Arsenal Make €17.3m Bid For Real Madrid Striker Huntelaar - Report

Reports from the English tabloids suggest that Arsenal have made an offer of €17.3m to Real Madrid for striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and are looking to secure the player from under the noses of rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Sunday Express comments that coach Arsene Wenger has earmarked the Dutchman as a replacement for Emannuel Adebayor, who has recently departed for Manchester City, and the club has cash to spend.

Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini recently stated that Huntelaar "has no place in this team", and the player turned down a move to German Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart last week.

It is thought that the 25-year old craves a move to the English Premier League, and although Tottenham had expressed an interest, the Gunners appear to have moved into the driving seat to clinch the striker’s signature.

Madrid are looking to sell, with sporting director Jorge Valdano admitting that the club need to offload some of their squad before any new additions can be considered, and the money raised from the sale of Huntelaar could be used to up their bid for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Huntelaar moved to the Bernabeu in January from Ajax for €20m and managed 8 La Liga goals in 20 appearances during the second half of the season.

Paul Macdonald, Goal.com