Arsenal ‘offer’ £60m as Mikel Arteta targets summer transfer for former player
Arsenal are lining up a deal for Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Gunners are currently having a brilliant season with Mikel Arteta leading them to first place in the Premier League with ten matches to play.
Arsenal to be big players in the transfer market?
Their penalty shootout victory over Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League has seen Arsenal move into the final eight of the competition, where they will face Bayern Munich.
And Arsenal are set to be big players in the transfer market once again with Arteta’s side gradually improving year on year since the Spaniard arrived at the Emirates Stadium in 2019,
Summer signings Declan Rice, David Raya and Kai Havertz have all improved Arteta’s squad this term, while there is excitement at Jurrien Timber’s return to fitness.
There are lots of rumours surrounding Arsenal needing a centre-forward in the summer with pundits and former players doubting their ability to win the Premier League with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah as their main two striker options.
That is likely to happen but Spanish publication Nacional insists that Arteta also has one eye on strengthening their depth in attacking midfield and out wide.
The report adds that Arsenal have made an ‘offer’ of €70m (£60m) for Diaz ahead of the summer transfer window and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez ‘must decide whether to sell him or retain him’.
Arsenal are ‘interested’ in the former Manchester City player – who was at the Etihad Stadium during Arteta’s time as City assistant – after he showed in recent weeks that he is prepared to be one of Real Madrid’s leading players.
However, the imminent addition of Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer in the summer ‘means that it will be even more difficult for Brahim to be a starter’.
That means he will ‘consider packing his bags’ and Arsenal are ‘in the auction’ for him as the biggest club who want his services in the next transfer window.
Gunners still have to fork out for David Raya
Arsenal, who have had a long-term interest in Diaz, will also pay £27m to Brentford this summer to complete Raya’s permanent move to the Emirates Stadium with the Brentford goalkeeper currently on a season-long loan deal.
“After his Champions League heroics this week, we already know that Arsenal’s plans for next season involve buying goalkeeper David Raya permanently from Brentford,” transfer expert Fabrizio Romano told Caught Offside.
“Arsenal have a buy option clause in that contract, and the reality is the pact between Arsenal and Brentford was already there, but they did this as an initial loan with buy option because of Financial Fair Play.
“Still, this summer Arsenal will pay £27m for Raya – they trust him for the present and future. He’s always been on the radar of the club as a talented goalkeeper, and so they did well to take the opportunity to get this deal done last summer. The man who made the difference to sign him – of course apart from Arteta and Edu – is the GK assistant Inaki Cana who knew him very well.”
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