Arsenal could bring Javi Manquillo to North London on a permanent basis in the future, with reports suggesting that the club's loan offer for the Atletico Madrid defender includes the option to buy him for a fixed price of just £6.3 million.
This is according to reports from French publication La Provence cited by Metro, which further claim that the Gunners' offer for Manquillo - an initial season-long loan with the addition of that aforementioned clause - has put them firmly ahead of Marseille in the running, with the Ligue 1 club reluctant to make similar commitments which have supposedly left Atletico in some doubt as to their seriousness regarding the player.
Debuchy back-up?
Manquillo - who made three appearances during Atletico's surprise La Liga title triumph last season - would not be the first right-back to arrive atArsenal this summer of course, with the club having completed the £10 million signing of Mathieu Debuchy from Premier League rivals Newcastle earlier this week.
The purchase of Debuchy - who started all but one of his native France's fixtures at the recent World Cup in Brazil - is a clear move from Arsene Wenger to compensate for the loss of Bacary Sagna, Arsenal's previous first-choice option who declined to sign an extension to his expiring contract at the Emirates Stadium and joined title rivals Manchester City last month.
Jenkinson departure?
While you may argue that it is not necessarily a negative thing to have impressive strength in depth in each position when competing for major honours, Manquillo's arrival in North London would presumably spell the end of Carl Jenkinson's Arsenal career.
Wenger demonstrated a lot of faith in the Englishman, signing him from Charlton Athletic following just a handful of Football League appearances for the Addicks between 2010/11.
When called upon to deputise for the hugely reliable Sagna, Jenkinson has largely done well, although one might argue that he is yet to live up to his full potential.
Arsenal may be tempted to hold on to Jenkinson in the event that they sign Manquillo, if only to cover themselves in the event that the latter's spell in English football does not go quite according to plan.
If they are looking to sell him, however, West Ham have been creditedwith an interest in Jenkinson's services in recent days and could certainly be willing to take him to Upton Park for the right price.
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