Arsenal eye spectacular £129m double signing, and Newcastle raid could be first
Tino Livramento and Castello Lukeba are both concrete targets for Arsenal as sporting director Andrea Berta plots a big summer refresh, according to a report.
Arsenal spent over £267million last summer to bring in eight new names. Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera all arrived at the Emirates.
Those signings have helped to put Arsenal in a great position to win their first Premier League title since 2003-04, as they have a nine-point lead over Manchester City.
The Gunners did not sign any senior players in January, but they are gearing up for another transformative summer window.
The Times have confirmed Arsenal’s interest in both Newcastle United full-back Livramento and RB Leipzig centre-half Lukeba heading into the summer.
Arsenal are ‘monitoring’ the situations of both players and look set to step up their interest depending on exits and potential valuations.
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Livramento has been identified as a potential replacement for Ben White, who is considering a transfer so he can pick up more game time.
Livramento would be a fantastic signing for Arsenal as he is one of the Premier League’s best young full-backs and can operate on either side of defence.
The Telegraph revealed recently that Newcastle would consider a £60m offer for the England star.
The Magpies are trying to tie Livramento down to a new contract, though he is aware of interest from both Arsenal and Manchester City.
French defender Lukeba is another target for Berta. He will be available for €80m (£69m) this summer due to a release clause in his Leipzig deal.
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French newspaper L’Equipe revealed last week that Arsenal have made contact with Leipzig to tee up a potential move for Lukeba.
Our friends at TEAMtalk confirmed on Thursday that the 23-year-old’s camp has spoken to Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea as they try to get their client a big Premier League move.
As things stand, it looks like Arsenal will prioritisie a deal for Livramento over Lukeba.
After all, Mikel Arteta already has incredibly strong options in central defence, with Gabriel and William Saliba his first-choice pairing. Behind them, Riccardo Calafiori and Mosquera are both available, while Hincapie is expected to join permanently following the end of his loan spell.
Lukeba, like Livramento, would be an exciting signing for Arsenal, particularly for the future, but it is not immediately clear what his first-team role would be.
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