Arsenal make contact over ‘wild card’ free transfer who is ‘attracted to the Premier League’
Arsenal have made contact in an effort to sign Sergi Roberto on a free transfer after his contract at Barcelona expired, according to reports.
The Gunners have made one permanent signing so far this summer with David Raya joining from Brentford after impressing on loan at the Emirates Stadium last season.
Riccardo Calafiori is set to undergo a medical this week before the Italy international completes a move from Bologna to become Mikel Arteta’s second signing of the summer.
And Arsenal are unlikely to stop there with the Gunners linked to numerous other players, including Euro 2024 winner Fabian Ruiz, who was named in the UEFA team of the tournament.
A report on Friday has claimed that Arsenal have opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a potential deal to buy Ruiz with the midfielder an ‘obvious fit’.
And now another midfielder has emerged as a target with Ruiz’s compatriot Roberto also on Arteta’s list as he and Edu look to improve the Arsenal squad ahead of the new season.
Roberto, who has only ever played for Barcelona, was released when his contract at the Catalan giants expired at the end of June but the La Liga side are still trying to keep him.
Barcelona agreed a one-year extension with him weeks ago but it hasn’t been made official with the club’s sporting director Deco seeing him as a ‘wild card’ because of his versatility.
And the delay on announcing Roberto has given Arsenal the opportunity to pounce with reports in Spain indicating that the Gunners have made their approach.
It is highlighted that the 32-year-old’s patience with Barcelona could be running out and that he is ‘personally attracted to the Premier League’, which could play into Arsenal’s hands.
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One player who looks increasingly likely to be an Arsenal player next season is Italy international Calafiori and former Gunners defender William Gallas has assessed the imminent signing.
When asked whether the defender was someone who caught his eye during Euro 2024, Gallas told Gambling Zone: “I didn’t really watch that many Italian games at the European Championships. For me to watch the Italian team, you know, it brings back too many bad memories (William lost the 2006 World Cup final to Italy), so that’s why I didn’t watch them.
“I did however speak to one of my friends who knows a lot about Italian football and asked him what he thought of him. My friend played in Italy for several years and watches Serie A every week – he played for Inter Milan and Lazio, he was a great player, but I’m not going to say who – and he told me that Ricardo Calafiori is really, really good.
“He’s young. He has good quality, and he can play as a centre back or as a left back. I think he would be a good signing for Arsenal because the club doesn’t really have a left back at the moment. There are doubts about that position.”
On whether he was surprised that Arsenal chose to prioritise to strengthen their defence this summer, Gallas replied: “I’m not surprised that Mikel Arteta has signed a defender because Arsenal will be playing in so many competitions next season.
“He will need quality defenders that he can trust because he will need to rotate some of his defenders next season – it’s really hard to keep the same back four when you’re playing every three of four days. You need quality that can come into the team when required.
“He’s a young player with massive potential. He can play in a couple of different roles in the defence, so it will be a good signing.”