Arsenal boss defends signing of youngster from Barcelona

Reports suggest Arsenal paid 350,000 Euros to Barcelona for Toral, who was yet to sign a professional contract with the Spanish giants.

“You forget that this boy is English. He has an English passport, his mother is from England and hopefully he will join us in the summer,” Wenger said.

“We have players who leave us for other professional clubs in England.

“We have done what just is legal.

“I love Barcelona, I love Catalonia – I have nothing against them, but when a player who is half English and Spanish wants to join us, why should we turn him down if its all legal?

“If we have done something illegal, I will say ‘sorry, my boy, we cannot do it’.

“Plenty of players leave us under exactly the same rule.”