Arsenal ‘prioritise’ three transfers as Pedri is ruled out; Gunners ‘offer’ Arteta signing to Barcelona
Arsenal are prioritising three players in the summer transfer window as they look to sell Kai Havertz, according to reports.
The Gunners have made impressive strides on the pitch under Mikel Arteta with the Spaniard and Edu identifying the right players to take the club forward in recent years.
Arsenal again attempted to improve their squad in the summer after pushing Manchester City close for the Premier League title last season with the additions of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.
And now they are planning their approach to the next transfer window with three players catching their eye ahead of the summer, according to Spanish publication Nacional.
Arsenal have ‘ruled out’ paying €90m or even €80m for Barcelona youngster Pedri in the summer and instead will ‘prioritise’ three other names.
It is understood that the Gunners will ‘forget’ about the Spaniard to ‘focus on other footballers’ with Arteta ‘ruling out’ his potential incorporation despite being an ‘admirer’ of his compatriot.
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Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Havertz are already a similar profile of player as Pedri and Arteta ‘prefers to sign someone who can play in a deeper position’.
The Arsenal boss has ‘three candidates in mind’ with Nacional naming Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, Leicester City’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz as the players on their ‘shopping list’.
Sticking with Arsenal and Barcelona, Nacional also focuses on Havertz with the Gunners apparently ‘offering’ the Germany international to the Catalan giants ahead of the summer.
With Arteta ‘unable to find’ his best position, Havertz could now be on the transfer market in the next window with his relationship with the Arsenal manager now ‘null and void’.
It will be ‘very difficult’ for Arsenal to recoup the £65m they spent on Havertz in the summer but they will ‘study the offers they receive’ to see if a sale suits them.
And it has now ‘been leaked that he has been offered to Barca through his agent’ with president Joan Laporta now ‘studying the possibility of incorporating him into the squad’.
Nacional add:
‘If there is any possibility of the German arriving in Barcelona, it is because he accepts an incredible salary reduction, and because the Gunners open the doors to him under very favorable conditions, either through a loan, or for a ridiculous price.’
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