Arsenal's attack has been the main focus of their transfer business so far, but now attention appears to be turning towards midfield and defence.
Deals for Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos, have already been completed, while Matt Turner has also arrived as a replacement for the outgoing Bernd Leno.
Youri Tielemans has been the subject of long-standing interest from the Gunners, and talks with his representatives have been ongoing for a while football.london understands. Meanwhile, Lyon's Lucas Paqueta is the latest name to be heavily linked with a move to the Emirates this summer.
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However, a new left-sided defender is believed to remain high up on Mikel Arteta's shopping list following what seems to be an unsuccessful attempt to sign Lisandro Martinez from Ajax. According to various reports, Arsenal had been in serious talks over the Argentinian and even saw bids knocked back, but due to increasing financial demands and Erik ten Hag's connection, it now looks like Manchester United is the most likely destination.
So it begs the question - what next? Well, despite Martinez primarily operating as a centre-back, Arsenal were reportedly looking to use him at left-back to provide support for the injury-troubled Kieran Tierney. This now seems all but confirmed due to the club's 'intensifying' interest in Alex Grimaldo.
Portuguese press have touted the Benfica man with a move to north London this summer, with some suggestions that Arsenal have submitted a £6m offer to secure his services. Although it's encouraging to see Edu moving swiftly after missing out on the initial target, doubts have surfaced over whether or not Grimaldo is the right profile.
When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing, player expert Zach Lowy replied: 'He's better than Tavares, and for €7m, it's not a bad deal, but I do have concerns over his defending and his ability in big games to not leave his team exposed.'
To hear that Grimaldo's better than Tavares is a positive, though it's not a surprise considering he's got four more years of experience at the age of 26. What is concerning, however, is the number of people, including Zach, who say that he is better going forward than he is at the back.
Looking at Tavares' displays last season, it was his lack of defensive awareness which let him down on numerous occasions, but his confidence in attack made him look like a different player at times. Yet it is due to the inconsistencies of his game that the Portugal U21 international now finds himself available on loan this summer.
With this in mind, Arsenal must ensure that their next addition at left-back is a significant upgrade like Martinez would have been and not just a risky stopgap option.
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