The summer transfer window has officially been open for just over a week now and Arsenal's best-case scenario, when it's all said and done on September 1, has already been outlined.
Whilst a verbal agreement is in place with William Saliba with regard to signing a new contract, it remains to be seen if Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar can successfully work together to get more deals over the line in the next couple of months.
Should deadline day pass with Declan Rice signed up, in addition to other areas across the first-team squad being bolstered significantly, then the club will be in a very good position to challenge champions Manchester City for the Premier League trophy once again next season.
If recent summer transfer windows for the north London outfit - particularly ever since owner Stan Kroenke became the club's sole shareholder back in September 2018 - is any indication as to what's in store in the coming months then expect a minimum of £150million to be spent.
And by Arteta's own admission, he knows just how important this summer is going to be: "To go to the next level is going to be a crucial summer for us, that is for sure," he said last month. "First of all to make sure we maintain everything we have at the club right now: that we maintain expectations; that we maintain the enthusiasm and energy that are around the place; and we have proper preparation to fulfil the objectives and challenges we will have next season."
Much of the responsibility with regard to ensuring the Arsenal squad is ready to challenge for the Premier League title as well as go deep in the Champions League falls largely on the shoulders of Edu and he's revealed that conversations have already taken place over how to do exactly that.
READ MORE: Edu to take the fall for Arsenal's Declan Rice transfer failure amid Stan Kroenke question mark
"We need to identify how we can improve," he said. "If we have to improve specific, individual positions, individuals, final turn, midfielders, our defence. We already know what it is because our style of play with Mikel Arteta is very clear. When you see Arsenal play now, you know it’s our style.
"Now we have to understand how to enhance our athletes so the team can improve and reach a new level in terms of performance. I think there is a level above. Mikel and I talked, and we believe we can raise our performance to a new level. Now we have to do good work in the transfer window, we have to understand what we need, get the right athletes, the right traits, and the right athlete mentality so we can raise our squad’s level again."
All of the above sounds promising, but it's worth remembering that nothing is guaranteed in a transfer window. You only have to go back to January when it looked to all the world that Mykhailo Mudryk was destined for the Emirates Stadium only to end up across London at Stamford Bridge.
So, with that in mind, Arsenal fans brace yourselves for another busy transfer window as football.london takes a look at what would be the worst-case scenario this summer.
Given Arteta has missed out on a few of his first-choice transfer targets in recent windows, seeing Rice sign elsewhere - amid links to Manchester City in particular - would be a huge blow as football.london understands the England international is Arsenal's priority this summer.
Furthermore, with Moises Caicedo seen as a suitable alternative to Rice if that deal falls through, seeing the Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder end up at Chelsea this summer is unlikely to sit well with supporters especially as Arsenal have previously been interested in the Ecuador international.
Elsewhere, not selling well - an area where Edu needs to prove himself having drawn criticism from some supporters in the past - especially as there's a chance to raise around £100million via selling the likes of Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka, Folarin Balogun and Nuno Tavares would not be ideal in addition to failing to bolster the squad where necessary.
How much should Arsenal pay for Declan Rice? Let us know in the poll below!
