The times, they are a-changin' in North London. What was once a summer at Emirates so completely and entirely consumed by the gut-wrenching prospect of stars Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri imminently bolting for new clubs has since shifted into full gear with rumors of new acquisitions springing up left and right, the latest of which concerning Franck Ribery.
A report by the South African site NewsTime suggests that Arsenal are in the midst of rather serious negotiations with Bayern Munich, Ribery's club in the German Bundesliga, about bringing the French winger to Emirates for a fee of around �22 million.
That price, though still rather steep, represents a significant drop-off from Der FCB's previous demands of anywhere betwee �40 million and �70 million in transfer fees for Ribery. However, Bayern now appears much more willing, if not eager, to part with the 28-year-old amidst a trying year that saw the German giants fail to bring home a trophy and Ribery struggle with injuries and personal issues stemming from an alleged connection to an underage prostitute.
Ribery has long been keen join forces with current Gunners manager and fellow countryman Arsene Wenger, though Le Professeur won't likely bring Ribery on board unless he can finally offload Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona at the desired rate.
There also remains the possibility that Wenger could entertain a swap, sending Russian winger Andre Arshavin to Bavaria in exchange for Ribery, though such a dramatic move seems unlikely at this juncture.
Regardless of whether it happens or not, bringing on a player with Ribery's physical and personal travails represents a significant risk for Wenger, though at this point, he might just be willing to stake his job, already on rather shaky ground, on the notion that Ribery can regain the form that made him arguably the greatest French footballer of his generation.
Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti
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