Source: Northern_Echo
Wigan are keen on move for Arca
WIGAN ATHLETIC are keen to land Julio Arca when his contract at Middlesbrough comes to an end in the summer.[LNB] The Latics showed an interest in the Argentine midfielder during last month's transfer window and are looking to offer him a new challenge.[LNB] Arca's style of football suits the way manager Tony Mowbray wants Boro to play, but it is looking increasingly likely that he will leave in the summer.[LNB] The 30-year-old has been keen to keep his options open, knowing there has also been tentative interest shown him from Greece and the Middle East.[LNB] But Wigan, particularly if they preserved Premier League status this season, would represent an opportunity for him to prove he can still play on the top-flight stage.[LNB] If Middlesbrough decide to offer Arca a new deal then the former Sunderland man would have to take a significant wage cut.[LNB] He is one of the highest paid players remaining at the Riverside Stadium, having been Gareth Southgate's first signing when he took over from Steve McClaren in July 2006.[LNB] The end of his time on Teesside looked like coming to an end in the summer, when Gordon Strachan was keen to move him on to bolster the restructuring job he carried out during his time in charge.[LNB] But Arca stayed put and, following the appointment of Mowbray in October, he has become a key member of the new regime's starting line-up.[LNB] There is no way Boro could afford to keep the player on his current terms and he looks destined to move on when his deal expires in the close-season.[LNB] Arca, who has been struggling with a toe problem, has returned to somewhere near his best in the last few months, although he was at fault for conceding the penalty against Swansea on Saturday that led to Boro's collapse.[LNB] He has made 145 starts for the club, scoring 17 goals, and there has also been interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the past.[LNB] If fit then Arca could be asked to play left-back, a position he is familiar with, at Millwall on Saturday if Joe Bennett does not recover in time.[LNB] Bennett aggravated a dead leg sustained on England Under-21s duty in the defeat to Swansea after initially thinking it had been shaken off just in time to face the Swans.[LNB] Mowbray does, however, hope to have Andrew Taylor fit again after a hamstring complaint, while goalkeeper Danny Coyne remains absent with a nagging back injury.[LNB]
