On course to win the Premier League title for the first time since their invincible campaign in 2004, Arsenal could soon be better placed than they have been for a long time to welcome some of Europe's best players. And that could see them beat Barcelona in one particular transfer race.
Arsenal transfer news
It could be another big summer at The Emirates, with Arsenal already linked with moves for Morgan Gibbs-White and of course, Ivan Toney, who has been a name mentioned for some time now. The Brentford striker arguably offers that killer instinct that Gabriel Jesus so desperately lacks when leading the line for the Gunners and could finally get his move away from Brentford this summer.
Arsenal "suddenly stop" negotiations to keep "top player" at the club
He’s been a vital part of Mikel Arteta’s side.
ByTom Coates
Gibbs-White, meanwhile, could be used to balance the books at Nottingham Forest. The England U21 international has been one of the standouts in the Midlands this season, but as Forest look to avoid a second Financial Fair Play charge, he could be among those sacrificed. With reports suggesting that Arsenal are interested, however, it's a move that may benefit both the club and the player.
In what would arguably be the most surprising move of the lot, however, according to The Sun, Arsenal are lining up a move to sign Joao Cancelo in the event that Barcelona fail to secure a permanent deal for the Manchester City loanee. The Catalan club are reportedly hesitant to meet City's £40m price tag for their full-back, leaving the door ajar for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta worked with Cancelo when he was the assistant manager at The Etihad of course and as City look to finally clear him out on a permanent basis, the Spaniard could be reunited with the right-back this summer. What's more, another element that could help the deal is the fact that Fabio Vieira's agent is the same as Cancelo's, creating a useful connection for the Gunners to work with.
"Special" Cancelo is better than Zinchenko
If Arsenal do secure the signature of Cancelo this summer, then the thoughts of Oleksandr Zinchenko will certainly be interesting. The full-back struggled to get a place ahead of the Portugal star during his City days and could now suffer the same fate at Arsenal. The stats don't lie, however, and create quite a problem for the current Arsenal man.
Goals
2
1
Assists
3
2
Progressive Carries
87
36
Key Passes
29
34
Tackles Won
34
27
Before things turned sour, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was also full of praise for Cancelo, saying via the club's official website:
"He played exceptionally, with the ball and without the ball. He is a special talent. Defensively sometimes he needs to be consistent but when he is consistent, his focus is fantastic. He’s a fantastic guy and a football player.”
So, if Barcelona fail to sign the full-back this summer, then Arsenal could be pulling off an act of genius by welcoming him with open arms.