Arsenal have reportedly been handed a boost in their pursuit of one of their targets, while there has been much talk of exits on Thursday too.
The Gunners will hope to end the season on a positive note as Mikel Arteta will be desperate to enjoy some success ahead of his first full campaign in charge.
While the Spaniard has overseen real improvement since being appointed in December, he’ll no doubt still want to stamp his mark on the squad if given an opportunity.
As reported by the Express, although it’s noted Chelsea have made official contact over Brentford ace Said Benrahma, Arsenal are also in the running for the 24-year-old who is said to be valued at £35m.
Benrahma has impressed again this season, bagging 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games.
Meanwhile, the Sun claim that the Gunners are in pole position to sign Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik, with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis ready to cash in and accept below their initial £45m asking price, while he doesn’t want to sell to a rival which rules Juventus out of the equation.
Despite suffering injury setbacks during his time in Naples, the Polish international has continued to score at an impressive rate, bagging 46 in 109 games.
In turn, with doubts still hanging over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, he could be a potential solution in that department.
Elsewhere, Mundo Deportivo note that Barcelona could set their sights on Aubameyang in a deal which could be worth less than €20m given he’s edging closer to the last 12 months of his current contract, as they consider alternative options to top target Lautaro Martinez.
Arsenal will undoubtedly be desperate to avoid losing their talisman, but time will tell if an extension can be agreed upon.
That might not be the only exit, as the Metro note how former Arsenal ace Charlie Nicholas has reiterated that the Gunners need to offload Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi as he bemoaned their poor planning and decision-making when it comes to contracts.
Nicholas was critical of the club giving out big-money contracts which makes it difficult to then axe players no longer needed, while he was more damning of Mustafi who he says is one of the defenders who is ‘not cut out for Arsenal’.
That’s a lot to digest, and it remains to be seen just how much activity Arsenal are involved in ahead of next season.
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“The motives behind Project Restart are possibly 100% financially driven rather than integrity driven.” – Which Premier League star said this? Click here to read more.
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