Welcome to the football.london transfer briefing. To help you keep on top of all things Arsenal going on in the market we've got the latest noises coming from social media, journalists and so-called ITKs, rounding up what's what in the world of the Gunners.
Arsenal's Partey plan
Arsenal will only sell Thomas Partey this summer if the right replacement is signed in his place. According to Fabrizio Romano the midfielder is thought to be a real option for bringing in funds this window and has options from the Saudi Pro League if he is to exit the club.
With Declan Rice now edging closer and closer to being the first addition of the 2023 summer window, that could be seen as a Partey replacement but with Granit Xhaka also heading off with his arrival, Partey will need at least one more midfielder to be on the way in.
With this, Romano says that the current favourite to fill that spot is Southampton's Romeo Lavia. It is far from a certainty that a deal can be done for the teenager, though, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all interest in him as well.
football.london says: Replacing Partey and Xhaka with Lavia and Rice would not only be drastic but also quite a gamble for Arteta. Whilst Rice is experienced and has evident leadership qualities to fill the midfield void, Lavia is still only young and it would be a lot of pressure to expect him to match Partey so quickly.
We have had similar discussions with Arsenal and their transfer move towards youngsters in recent years, though, and so far all doubts have been knocked back with nothing but top end performances. Arteta has shown his ability to balance the squad effectively throughout and Lavia may well be the perfect partner for Rice but it is a brave call.
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: £105m Declan Rice bid, City talks, Havertz confirmation leaked
Havertz dream
Kai Havertz dreamed of moving to Real Madrid but will be absolutely committed to Arsenal after signing this summer, according to reports. It had been said that Los Blancos would be pushing their own efforts to get him from Chelsea, but they were not willing to go near the £65million ($82.6m) value.
Madrid were keen to bring him to the Spanish capital in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic put an end to their attempts. It has long been his dream to play for Madrid, though, and the Evening Standard write that the Blues had been readying themselves to lose him to Santiago Bernabeu for some time.
He is now on his way to the Emirates Stadium, though, and is more than happy to remain in England and London for the long-term.
football.london says: Havertz to Madrid has felt somewhat inevitable at some stage and the fact that after three poor years in England they were expressing interest came as a shock last month. A move to Arsenal certainly makes more sense. It allows him to continue with his much-valued charity work and despite form, he is settled in London.
There should be no worry that he has dreamt of moving to Madrid either. If Arsenal can create an environment whereby he thrives and Madrid still show interest then that is a credit to them and Arteta is likely to be getting plenty out of him as a player.
In that world there would be new questions to ask but with a long-term deal on the table it's far too soon to be thinking about that.
