According to the latest reports, Arsenal are in talks with Spanish club Malaga to sign their defender Vitorino Antunes.
Antunes’ current contract with Malaga expires in 2016, any contract extension talks are put on hold at the moment after initial negotiations failed. This is an encouraging situation for Arsenal who are planning to make their bid during the winter transfer window.
Antunes has a buy-out clause of £2.5m in his contract, which is indeed a bargain price for an international defender like him. Antunes has eight caps for Portugal and he also has the experience of playing in Serie A after spending 4 years of his career with Italian giants Roma.
After selling Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona, Arsenal depth in their defense is paper thin now. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are the only traditional center backs available for the selection at the moment. Calum Chambers can play as CB but with the long-term injury to Mathieu Debuchy, ex-Southampton star is busy with his right back role. Monreal can play as a center back too. Considering all this, Antunes will be a good signing for the gunners and he will add much needed depth to thier defense.