It is no secret that Arsenal want to sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice this summer.
The England international is the Gunners' priority for the summer transfer window, football.london understands. Of course, that may not stop them from exploring other midfield targets, especially when you consider that Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are all 29 years old or older.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the north London outfit are also interested in Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, as well as Brighton's Moises Caicedo. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: "Romeo Lavia is attracting very important interest.
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"He is a top talent as a midfielder. Let me say one thing, the buy-back clause for Manchester City is in the contract starting from summer 2024, not now, this is why Man City do not have full control over Lavia this upcoming summer. Other clubs are interested, Arsenal are keeping an eye on the player, Arsenal are following Romeo Lavia, at the moment it’s nothing advanced.
"Remember my words, Caicedo remains a target after the discussions they had during the January transfer window. Caicedo is in the list again at Arsenal and Romeo Lavia is a player they are following.”
City's aforementioned buy-back clause of course gives them a key advantage in the race to sign Lavia, although Arsenal's knack for giving young players a chance to develop under Mikel Arteta's stewardship may make them an exciting prospect for the player too. Meanwhile, the Gunners were extremely keen to sign Brighton star Caicedo during the January transfer window.
In fact, they saw offers of £60 million and £70 million rejected for the Ecuadorian international, who expressed his desire to leave the Amex Stadium via a social media post. "I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador", his statement read.
"My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador. I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.
"The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity." However, the 21-year-old stayed put in Brighton before eventually signing a new contract with Roberto De Zerbi's side earlier this month.
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