Arsenal could have been handed a fresh boost in their attempts to sign Brighton star Moises Caicedo. The Gunners pushed hard to sign the midfielder in January but saw multiple attempts rebuffed by the Seagulls, with Caicedo signing a new contract on the south coast despite posting a statement at the end of the winter window hinting at his desire to leave.
For the summer window, West Ham star Declan Rice is now the priority signing, football.london understands. However, that does not rule out the possibility of Edu signing both midfielders in an attempt to build on the 2022/23 season where Arsenal could be surprise Premier League title winners.
Those hopes took a minor blow over the weekend as Mikel Arteta's side dropped points for the first time since the 3-1 defeat to title rivals Manchester City in February.
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Despite taking a two-goal lead, the Gunners were pegged back by Liverpool, meaning their lead at the Premier League's summit dropped down to six points, handing the initiative back to Pep Guardiola's men, who have a game in hand on the Gunners ahead of a possible title-decider between the two sides on April 26.
While the primary focus in north London is on winning the Premier League, Edu and Arteta face several transfer decisions this summer, including one within London Colney regarding Reiss Nelson.
Academy graduate Reiss Nelson sees his current contract expire this summer. At the start of 2023 a move away looked likely. However, football.london reported at the start of March that the Gunners had opened talks with Nelson regarding extending his current deal.
Despite appearing for just 102 Premier League minutes, the 23-year-old has made a significant impact in this campaign. Before Christmas he netted a brace against Nottingham Forest and then played a major role in the heroic comeback win over Bournemouth in early March, which included scoring the winning goal.
According to Fabrizio Romano, although Arteta wants to see Nelson stay at the Emirates Stadium with the two parties currently negotiating a contract extension, a number of European clubs are monitoring his situation. According to the Daily Mail, Brighton are one of the teams interested in signing Nelson if he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
When asked about his future in December, Nelson told football.london: "I’ve said a few times, I’ve been here since I was eight and I’m 23 now so I’ve been here a long time and I’m Arsenal through and through."
While staying at his boyhood club is the priority, Nelson is behind Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in the pecking order, which could see his minutes limited further.
The Gunners could therefore strike with the opportunity to sanction his exit to Brighton if they are given another chance to sign Caicedo.
The two deals would likely have to be separate given Nelson will be a free agent in just a few months, but handing the Seagulls the green light by not negotiating a new deal for the winger, could help re-establish their relationship with Brighton and thus their hopes of acquiring Caicedo given a huge boost.
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