Arsene Wenger has killed off Palermo’s hopes of signing Joel Campbell after insisting he wants the Costa Rican to stay with Arsenal.
The Rosanero were already struggling in their negotiations to prise the 23-year-old to Sicily given the Gunners’ high asking price, but they had hoped that the Premier League side’s pursuit of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema may have created a window for Campbell to make the switch to Italy. Wenger, however, has put the lid on any possible deal by insisting Campbell remains very much part of the north London club’s plans this season.
“At the moment he is here and personally I would like him to stay,” the Frenchman told a press conference.
“I will sit-down and talk with Joel [Campbell] because I think he’s a really strong player and I would be very happy if he remained here.”
Campbell joined Arsenal in 2011 from the Costa Rican side Saprissa but he has had limited first-team opportunities at the Emirates Stadium and has had a series of loan spells, most recently with La Liga side Villarreal.
