Arsenal are expected to make their first move for West Ham star Declan Rice in the coming days in the wake of West Ham's Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina. football.london understands that a bid in the region of £90million is set to be placed on the table amid interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Mikel Arteta's allocated budget is expected to be applied to bringing Rice to the Emirates Stadium, but other areas of the squad are in need of reinforcements. The Gunners' defence has been mooted as a position on the club's list to improve, as well as the attacking area.
Arsenal are currently stacked in the forward positions, with two of the Premier League's best wingers in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli enjoying their best individual seasons to date. However, behind the pair, there have been question marks left over the depth off the bench.
Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe both endured injury-hit seasons, limiting their time on the pitch. Leandro Trossard's January arrival from Brighton had initially improved Arteta's options, but the Belgian's form depleted towards the end of the season.
Next season, the Gunners will return to the Champions League and will simply need players to fill in, when required, and produce the levels expected of them. And whilst the focus is primarily on midfield, a new signing in attack could still be on the cards.
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And the perfect candidate could be Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams. The Spain international has had an excellent season in La Liga to attract interest from the likes of Liverpool in recent months. The 20-year-old contributed to 15 goals in 43 appearances for Bilbao this season and has become one of their most-prized assets.
According to SportItalia, Arsenal are in the race to sign Williams this summer. His performances in Spain have been promising, though question marks have been left over his end product. However, Arteta has a proven track record of pushing attackers in improving their all-round game, with Martinelli and Saka perfect examples.
Capable of playing on either wing, Williams could provide the perfect competition to Arsenal's wide players ahead of a hectic 2023/24 season.
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