Arsenal technical director Edu can satisfy Mikel Arteta's transfer demands with a double swoop for Julian Weigl and Myhaylo Mudryk this summer.
The Gunners have been hit with two injury blows this week after Thomas Partey sustained a thigh injury and Mohamed Elneny picked up a hamstring injury that could see both miss a number of weeks. Arteta has been clear in his desire to add one or two more signings to his squad before the transfer deadline with a central midfielder now thought to be a priority.
Youri Tielemans has long been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer, but Arsenal are willing to wait until next summer to secure the Leicester star's signature on a free transfer, football.london understands. The Gunners could look to hijack Weigl's rumoured return to the Bundesliga by securing a £13m deal for the German midfielder, leaving more funds to make a move for Mudryk.
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Weigl is rumoured to be on the verge of securing a loan move back to the Bundesliga with Benfica set to add a £13million option-to-buy clause in the deal that would see the German midfielder join Borussia Mochengladbach, according to Sport 1. The former Borussia Dortmund star has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium before and now could be the perfect time for Arsenal to strike and hijack a deal for Weigl.
The Gunners would be signing a solid option that can play as either a no.6 or no.8, providing cover for both Partey and Granit Xhaka in midfield. The deal would also be a much cheaper alternative to Tielemans, leaving more funds available to pursue a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk talent Mudryk.
The north London outfit have been linked with a move for the 21-year-old after seemingly being priced out of a move for Wolves star Pedro Neto. Arteta is keen to add a winger to his squad to provide competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, along with the returning Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira.
Neto was said to be the Gunners' priority ahead of deadline day, but Wolves reluctance to sell and £50million valuation means a move is 'unlikely'. Mudryk has emerged as a real target for Arsenal now with Donetsk valuing the talented winger at around £25million, having contributed 10 assists in just 28 appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk since making his debut in 2018.
Edu can look to grant Arteta's wishes of adding a new midfielder and winger to his squad by looking to complete a double transfer swoop for Weigl and Mudryk for a combined fee of £38million, much less than it would cost the Gunners to sign Neto alone. It is shaping up to be a hectic final 48 hours at the Emirates Stadium, with a huge clash against Aston Villa to contend with as well.
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