Arsenal are having a quiet transfer window as per now. The club has only announced one signing as per now. That too is not new one as it is turning David Raya’s stay from loan to permanent. Reports claim that Riccardo Calafiori’s signing is completed but he has not been announced yet. The Premier League runner-ups still need to sign winger, striker and midfielder. Mikel Arteta is busy with the squad in United States as the club is preparing to take Manchester City down. On the other hand, the board is giving their all in the transfer window. Recently, one Barcelona’s wonderkid rejected a huge offer made by Arsenal.
Arsenal are keen to sign a new holding midfielder. The Gunners signed Declan Rice last summer for £105 million. Rice played most of the matches as holding midfielder. However, Arteta made Rice his number eight at the end of the season. The Englishman adapted very quickly to that role and did a great job. Gareth Southgate did exactly the same and utilized Rice as number eight throughout the Euros.
Its been revealed that Rice will continue playing as central midfielder in the 2024/25 season as well. Arteta wants to pair him with a new midfielder as he is willing to part ways with Thomas Partey. In addition, Emile Smith Rowe is also very close to leave Arsenal. Jorginho has signed a contract extension, however he can’t play on regular basis due to his age.
Barca’s wonderkid rejects offer from Arsenal
Arsenal were interested to sign Marc Bernal from Barcelona. Bernal is Barca’s academy talent and is only 17 years old. La Masia is one of the greatest academies in the world. They have produce some of the top talents over the years. The recent example is Lamine Yamal who was on fire throughout the Euro 2024.
Arsenal made a huge offer for Bernal. However the youngster has turned down the offer and has opted to stay with Barcelona. In addition, the 17 year old midfielder has signed a new contract with Barcelona. Hansi Flick admires Bernal so much. According to E-Noticies, Flick claimed that the youngster has more potential than Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets.
Marc Bernal moved to La Masia academy at the age of 6. Bernal impressed the club on regular basis earning him his first pro contract last year. He has played 27 matches for Barcelona Athletic and has scored 2 goals. In addition he has played 11 matches for Spain under-17 team. Bernal mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. He is left footed and is very versatile. Bernal has good body and is very good under pressure. In addition his passing skills are very good.
Arsenal’s midfield situation
Despite getting no from Barca’s wonderkid, Arsenal still need to go hard in the market. Marc Bernal has a great future but he is still very young. The priority for Gunners is to sign a experienced holding midfielder who can provide under pressure. Firstly, Gunners wanted to sign Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi. However, Zubimendi has no plan to leave Spain. Later, Arsenal wanted to sign Douglas Luiz but they had to face failure once again. Luiz went to sign for Serie A team Juventus. Now Gunners have turned their attention to Real Sociedad star once again.
However, the Real Sociedad star this time is not Martin Zubimendi. Gunners want to sign Zubimendi’s club and national teammate Mikel Merino. Merino is very close to join Arsenal. In addition, Gunners are keen to sign another Euro 2024 winning star. They are also looking for Fabian Ruiz who was very good throughout the Euros. Fabian Ruiz is very skilled and can play anywhere in the midfield.
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