Arsenal could be the main beneficiaries of a transfer domino effect which may allow Mikel Arteta to secure a move for a dream Kieran Tierney replacement. The Scotland international is expected to depart the Gunners after holding exit talks with Arteta after nearly four years at the club according to a report from the Times.
Newcastle showed a strong interest in signing Tierney during the January transfer window, but Arteta was reluctant to sell mid-season. However, the Magpies are still keen to bring Tierney in and now Aston Villa, under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, want the former Celtic man this summer to bolster their squad ahead of their own European adventure.
With two clubs interested, a bidding war could elapse which would help the Gunners secure a significant windfall to then reinvest into their own signings. Two additions in both midfield and defence are the current priority for Arteta and Edu, with football.london reporting since February that Declan Rice is the primary target this summer.
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Arsenal returning to the Champions League makes it rather important to replace rotation players, if some choose to depart this summer, with mid-week action likely to further test the limits of Arteta's squad. The majority of Tierney's minutes this season came in the Europa League but the step up in quality to the Champions League will be noticeable and the Spaniard is far less likely to make wholesale changes for every European clash.
Pep Guardiola has carefully mastered this challenge, granted with significant funds over numerous windows, at Manchester City. At City, very rarely does the same eleven start consecutive games but there is no clear drop-off in performance levels and Arteta must do his best to ensure the players brought in this summer can immediately impact the senior group.
Signing established stars is the way to go and while it will cost a hefty amount, to compete in every competition every single year, this is the way forward. If Tierney does leave, the Gunners look to have a ready-made replacement in Jakub Kiwior, but a chance to sign one of the world's best left-backs could have emerged which may be difficult for Arteta to turn down despite what will likely be a large asking price.
Borussia Dortmund's Raphael Guerreiro is out of contract this summer and looks to have decided his future will at be Bayern Munich. According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the 29-year-old is appreciated by Bayern and there have been internal talks about signing him on a free transfer this summer.
Guerreiro joining the Bundesliga champions would see him join Lucas Hernandez and Alphonso Davies to total three left-backs at Allianz Arena. Given their quality and international pedigree, the trio can all be considered as first-choice options but the game time of each could diminish if Guerreiro signs which makes a departure for one a possibility.
Plettenberg has also noted that Hernandez wants to leave Bayern and sign for Paris Saint-Germain, although no concrete talks are yet to take place. If that move does not occur, the Gunners can take advantage of the precarious position Davies finds himself in at Bayern after a transfer hint was dropped by his agent Nedal Huoseh.
"It's a chaotic time at Bayern Munich," he told BILD referencing the recent shock sacking of CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. "I'm not sure what's going on and who we'll be talking to.
"There seems to be too much instability and uncertainty about the direction of the club. Maybe it's better if we wait until 2024 and see how things develop with the club before we move on to a new contract."
The Canada international is considered one of the best left-backs in the world and sees his current contract expire in 2025 with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing him at €80million (£68m). Of course, it would be a tough ask for Arsenal to complete the move let alone Bayern offer the green light for him to leave, but Guerreiro arriving and Bayern changing the bulk of their board certainly gives Arsenal hope of what would likely be the signing of the summer if pulled off.
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