Arsenal could avenge ‘slap in the face’ from Chelsea as they ‘revisit’ deals for £106m duo

Premier League side Arsenal could carry on their transfer rivalry with Chelsea as they target a pair of Juventus players, according to reports.

The Gunners have made brilliant progress on the pitch this season with Sunday’s 3-2 win over Manchester United restoring their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

And Arsenal have been busy so far this transfer window as they look to get players in to help get them over the line in the Premier League title race.

Leandro Trossard has joined from Brighton after Chelsea beat them to the €100m signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk while Jakub Kiwior is set to join from Serie A side Spezia to boost their defensive ranks.

But many fans and pundits still think they are short in midfield and up front if they want to keep hold of their spot at the summit and now a report claims that the Gunners could ‘revisit’ deals for Juventus duo Manuel Locatelli and Dusan Vlahovic.

GiveMeSport reporter Dean Jones claims the arrivals of Mudryk and Joao Felix at Chelsea were ‘viewed as a slap in the face to Arsenal’ and that they could now fight it out with the Blues for another couple of signings.

Jones wrote in his column: “Another Juventus target to look out for is Italian midfielder Locatelli. Arsenal had a go at signing him before he moved to the Turin giants yet there are indications from sources that it is a situation they may revisit at the end of the season.

“Issues at Juventus could lead to a mass overhaul and as part of that Locatelli could become available—which will also alert Chelsea, who have had him on the watchlist and regard him as a potential option for their midfield rebuild if other avenues become blocked.

“Juve paid towards £40m to sign him just over a year ago and while this one might have to sit on the back burner a few more months, it’s one that will appeal to both clubs if he becomes available.”

On Vlahovic to Arsenal, Jones adds: “Arsenal looked into this one last January and have grown in status since that moment. Vlahovic, a deadly striker who could be compared to Erling Haaland in terms of his goal threat, would give the Gunners a cutting edge in the Champions League next season when they make their return to the competition.

“There is a lot to be figured out at Juve in the coming months, with a new board in place and the club under investigation about financial issues.

“It may lead to player departures and as part of that Vlahovic’s situation is “not certain”, as one source explained. That could open the door to him moving to the Premier League.

“The striker position remains one of the focus points for Chelsea as they consider their Boehly re-model. The Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang experiment will not continue much longer and while Kai Havertz is their top scorer this season, a tally of five Premier League goals is not exactly what is needed when trying to compete at the top end of the Premier League.

“Vlahovic would not come cheap, he was a £66m signing one year ago, and predictions on his valuation vary between £70-£100m.”

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