Barcelona Star Set to Snub Arsenal and Liverpool to Join Monaco – Report

Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are set to lose the battle for goalkeeper Victor Valdes after reports in Spain claimed the Barcelona legend will eventually join Monaco before the end of this week.

The 32-year-old keeper just ended his contract at the Camp Nou on Monday (30 June) and, having already confirmed his departure from Barcelona earlier this year, he is now free to decide his future.

Even though during the season some reports claimed that he had already signed a pre-contract agreement with Monaco, his future has been under increasingly scrutiny in recent times – after prestigious French newspaper L'Equipe claimed Monaco were poised to break the deal with the player due to concerns about his fitness.

Valdes tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in March and he is still expected to be out of action for the first part of the next campaign, having already missed the World Cup with Spain.

And after Barcelona completed the signing of both Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen to replace him, some reports suggested that the 32-year-old keeper may have a future in the Premier League.

Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool were reportedly monitoring the situation as Arsene Wenger, Manuel Pellegrini and Brendan Rodgers are all likely to bolster the sticks during the summer.

However, Mundo Deportivo assures today that Valdes will finally undergo his medical at Monaco on Wednesday before officially signing a contract with the Ligue 1 giants.

Meanwhile, Pellegrini has reportedly already found an alternative to fight for the number one with Joe Hart next season in his former Malaga keeper Willy Caballero.

At the same time, Liverpool are reportedly stepping up the chase for Mexico's World Cup hero, Guillermo Ochoa, who is currently a free agent, while Wenger will have to look elsewhere for a keeper following Lukasz Fabianski's departure.