Arsenal may still be intent on taking the Premier League title race down to the wire, but that does not mean that they have not begun planning for the summer. Edu was able to build Mikel Arteta a top quality squad courtesy of around £125million investment last summer, and something similar is on the cards this time around.
The Gunners will be playing Champions League football for the first time since 2017, and as a result Arteta will need a far deeper squad. One of the areas they look set to strengthen in is central midfield.
Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Jorginho have all been outstanding this season, but all three are coming into the closing stages of their career. With this in mind here’s a look at some potential realistic and dream reinforcement options.
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Dream options
One player Arsenal are interested in signing to bolster their midfield options is Delcan Rice of West Ham. football.london understands that he is the Gunners' main transfer target this summer as Arteta seeks to build his Champions League squad.
Another player the Gunners have shown interest in is Brighton's Moises Caicedo. When Arsenal tried to sign him in January, it was with the hope of having both him and Rice at the club, and although Jorginho has come in since then, there's little doubting that the Ecuador international would be a superb addition to the midfield, and heir apparent to Thomas Partey.
Finally Mason Mount is a player reportedly on the Arsenal radar. The England international will have just one year left on his Chelsea contract this summer and has shown no indication that he is likely to sign any time soon. His addition to the squad would provide an upgrade on Fabio Vieira who has flattered to deceive at times during limited opportunities in his debut Arsenal season.
Dream midfield lineup: Caicedo, Rice, Mount
Realistic options
While bringing those three in would be a huge step in the right direction for Arsenal's chances of closing the gap to Manchester City, budgetary constraints would appear to make completing the trio of deals in one window difficult.
Mount is said to want in the region of £350,000 per week wages to stay at Chelsea, and if he were to get that at Arsenal, it would make him the club's highest paid player. It's hard to see Edu or Arteta going for that, particularly when Martin Odegaard would almost definitely be starting ahead of him as the club captain.
Caicedo is also now likely to be pricey after he signed a long-term deal with Brighton. Arsenal bid £75million for him in January and could well have to go higher than that if they wanted to secure the 22-year-old's services.
Rice however, is their primary target, and with his ability to play both as a six and an eight, the England international would strengthen Arsenal in multiple positions. Finishing the transfer window with just his signing in midfield would not be a bad summer by any stretch of the imagination.
Realistic midfield lineup: Partey, Rice, Odegaard
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