Arsenal need to increase Jonny Evans bid above £25million before West Brom agree to sell
Gunners trying to land Baggies defender before the transfer window shuts but West Brom refusing to agree a deal on the cheap
ARSENAL will have to increase their offer for Jonny Evans to more than £25million if they want to sign the defender before the transfer window shuts on Wednesday.
The Gunners have been talking with West Brom for the past fortnight and trying to agree a fee for the Northern Ireland international.
Arsene Wenger sees the former Manchester United star as the ideal man to bring composure to his faltering defence at the Emirates.
But SunSport understands the Baggies are now digging their heels in by holding out for at least £27m as the transfer deadline rapidly approaches.
Arsenal have spent much of the last two weeks finalising the Henrikh Mkhitaryan deal which saw Alexis Sanchez move to Manchester United in a straight swap.
And chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been out in Germany this week in an attempt to push through a deal with Borussia Dortmund for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The £25m package the Gunners had put on the table earlier this month has been left hanging as a result, which suited West Brom as they would have been happy to keep hold of the defender.
Evans had also been keen to see if Manchester City would return with a bid, having failed to sign him last summer in a £30m deal.
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But City have decided to move for Atletico Madrid's Aymeric Laporte, believing a £57m transfer for the French defender represents a better long-term option.
That has left Arsenal as they only genuine option open to Evans, but the Baggies will only sell if the money is right.
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Alan Pardew has been busy this week, agreeing a deal to sign Egyptian defender Ali Gabr until the end of the season to ensure he is not left short of options.
But West Brom know Arsenal have an urgent need for a top class defender, and want the club to come back with an improved bid before they agree to cash in.
Much will depend on how the Gunners want to structure the deal for the 30-year-old, with the Baggies keen to get the majority of money up front rather than in staggered payments.
Arsenal are understood to prefer to spread the cost, with extra bonus payments dependent on whether they qualify for the Champions League.