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WENG AND A PRAYER

Arsenal transfer news: Arsene Wenger to battle Manchester City for £25m-rated West Brom star Jonny Evans

Gunners make former Manchester United defender top transfer target as Baggies boss Alan Pardew is resigned to losing his centre-half

ARSENAL will battle Manchester City for West Brom captain Jonny Evans in the January transfer window.

Arsene Wenger has made signing a centre-half his top priority next month.

 Arsenal will attempt to sign Jonny Evans from West Brom next month
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Arsenal will attempt to sign Jonny Evans from West Brom next monthCredit: Getty

But he doesn’t want to take another defensive gamble after £35million Shkodran Mustafi and £11million Gabriel Paulista both struggled to live up to expectations at the Emirates.

And he believes that former Manchester United star Evans has the Premier League experience needed to fit straight into the heart of his defence.

Now he must persuade the Northern Ireland international to reject a move to Champions-elect City.

Wenger hopes that the promise of regular first team football will be enough to convince Evans to move to London.

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 Arsene Wenger has made a centre-half his top priority next month
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Arsene Wenger has made a centre-half his top priority next monthCredit: PA:Press Association
 Pep Guardiola will also attempt to bring the defender to Manchester City
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Pep Guardiola will also attempt to bring the defender to Manchester CityCredit: AFP

But Evans had his heart set on a move to the Etihad in the summer and even missed West Brom’s first four games of the season as he tried to force the deal.

And he knows that he could almost double his current £70,000-a-week salary if he joins Pep Guardiola’s runaway League leaders.

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Guardiola wants to bolster his star-studded squad after accepting that he can no longer rely on injury-prone skipper Vincent Kompany.

The City boss was keen on Southampton centre-half Virgil van Dijk but didn’t even get the chance to make a bid before Liverpool agreed a world record £75million fee for the Dutch international this week.

Now he has turned his attention to Evans and the fact that he would be eligible to play in this Champions League makes him even an even more attractive proposition for City.

Evans, who celebrates his 30th birthday next week, has 18 months remaining on his current contract and has already rejected a new £100,000-a week deal which would have made him the highest paid player in West Brom’s history.

New boss Alan Pardew is desperate to keep hold of the player to lead Albion’s battle to beat the drop but he is virtually resigned to losing Evans next month and admitted last week: “We have to be realistic.

 West Brom boss Alan Pardew is resigned to losing his star in the transfer window
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West Brom boss Alan Pardew is resigned to losing his star in the transfer windowCredit: Reuters
 The Baggies will demand at least £25million for the former Manchester United man
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The Baggies will demand at least £25million for the former Manchester United manCredit: PA:Press Association
 Arsene Wenger believes Jonny Evans would fit straight into his defence
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Arsene Wenger believes Jonny Evans would fit straight into his defenceCredit: EPA

“Jonny is a top player and he knows that other clubs are interested in him so we have to be intelligent and straightforward in dealing with that.

“He is under contract with West Brom and we will give him the best possible deal financially to keep him, but that might not be the whole thing with Jonny.”

Albion will want at least £25million for a player who cost them £8million when he signed from Manchester United in 2015.

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