The summer is underway and with it comes the start of transfer season. The window may not officially open until next week, but work is well underway for what is expected to be a busy summer at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal are targeting several signings with a defender, a forward and two midfielders on the agenda at the very least as Mikel Arteta prepares his squad for the Champions League. There are also several exits expected while contracts have to be sorted for key players like William Saliba.
With all that going on it felt like the perfect time for a Q and A with football.london 's chief Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak. You can read back on some of the highlights below.
Q: Hi Kaya, I know you said Arsenal are confident on William Saliba’s contract, but is there a deadline to get this done? Seems a bit of a risk to let it drag into next season.
Also, is there a chance Saliba doesn’t sign? If so, would that mean he has to be sold this summer just to avoid losing him for free?
KK: Hey, that's a good question!
I suppose if you want to be particular about a deadline you could say it's the end of next season. That's when Saliba's contract is currently due to expire and as we've reported on FL there's no other option to extend beyond that as things stand. Arsenal are confident and the player is definitely open to staying as I wrote on Tuesday, but there is, of course, a chance he could leave.
If I were Saliba I would look to stay as I don't think there's too many options out there that are better than Arsenal right now. Real Madrid are pretty stacked when it comes to centre-backs and there's a lot of uncertainty at PSG. Man City meanwhile might restrict his game time, so this will be fuelling Arsenal's confidence. I think it just comes down to Saliba getting what he's worth and that's why Arteta has stated on a few occasions that it should just be a matter of timing.
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Rice £100m bid, Caicedo twist, Cancelo boost, Saliba contract
Q: £35m for McAllister and now £86m for Bellingham. Do you think this will balance rice and Caicedo down to slightly better fees?
KK: I think it's hard to make too many sweeping statements on transfer fees just because every single deal is different. Shakhtar tried to use the logic of saying Mudryk must be worth £100million because of how much Grealish and Antony cost, and look how that's worked out for Chelsea...
I think with Mac Allister it's a case of it being a release clause, while with Bellingham he only had two years remaining on his contract so Dortmund had to sell this summer. From an Arsenal perspective I can't see those deals altering any negotiations too much.
Caicedo only signed a new Brighton deal a few months ago without a release clause in it which means that he is likely to cost upwards of the £70million the Gunners bid for him in January unfortunately. Rice, meanwhile, is West Ham's most important player by some distance so they will feel that they can't let him go unless it's for a big fee.
Q: Any chance we go for Vlahovic or any other strikers?
KK: Hey thanks for the question! I for one would love to see Arsenal go for a striker this summer I think Eddie did a good job backing up Jesus during his injury but I just feel like the team could do with a different option up top. Someone like a Vlahovic could work, or maybe someone like an Ivan Toney who's got a good threat in the air - although of course Toney's betting ban rules that one out.
Unfortunately I've not heard anything to suggest Arsenal are targeting that type of player so far this window. Mikel Arteta wants more firepower in his front line, but it's likely to be more of an all rounder who can play anywhere across the top like Trossard was in January.
Q: Will we see a CB to replace Rob Holding and to give competition for William Saliba?
KK: Arsenal certainly want to bolster their defensive ranks, but how they do that may well depend on who ends up leaving. They would like someone who can play centre-back, and someone who can play either full-back, but if they can get one player who can do all three then that might be even better! That's why these Ivan Fresneda links which we reported on back in January make so much sense to me. I think it would be a great deal for Arsenal to get over the line, and when Tomiyasu returns from his injury, it would leave the backline looking really strong again.
Q: Which position would Rice play if he signs? Why can’t we go for Bellingham?
KK: You're not the only person to have asked me about Bellingham! I for one would have loved to see him come to the carpet, but it seems as though his move to Real is more or less done. Maybe one for a few years time, I hope. I think Rice will probably play in the eight role for now given that Arsenal have Partey and Jorginho in the six, and that Granit Xhaka is going to leave.
Arteta wants to eventually move the team to having more offensive contributions from both 'eight' positions though, so don't be surprised if we see more of Fabio Vieira in that position next season with Rice a bit deeper. Emile Smith Rowe has also been training in the central midfield position and could definitely suit that role in my humble opinion!
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