ARSENAL are working on a dream scenario of signing both Viktor Gyokeres AND Nico Williams in a blockbuster £200m summer spree.
The club’s number one priority is to bring in a top-level central midfielder and are confident of landing Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi for around £50m.
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Now new sporting director Andrea Berta and fellow Emirates chiefs are doing the sums to see if they can also afford an elite centre forward AND a game-changing winger.
Berta knows he will have to generate significant income from selling players in order to raise the cash necessary to prise Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon and Williams from Athletic Bilbao.
But the Gunners hierarchy are determined to do all they can to give boss Mikel Arteta the superstar signings he needs to win the Premier League title
With Jorginho and Thomas Partey set to leave the Emirates on free transfers, it will be essential to buy Zubimendi or a defensive midfielder of similar quality.
Arsenal will also need to bring in a new second-choice goalkeeper when on-loan Neto returns to Bournemouth and Espanyol’s Juan Garcia is top of their hit list.
A prolific central striker is regarded as the main target at the other end of the pitch, with a new winger seen as more of a luxury.
But Emirates chiefs would love to find a way to do both.
Their chances will depend in part on whether Sporting and Athletic Bilbao hold out for the release clauses for Gyokeres and Williams, which are believed to be £83.6m and £49m respectively.
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If negotiations prove difficult, Arsenal could choose to pursue strikers likely to be cheaper, such as RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko or Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, in order to free up more money for Williams.
Alternatively, the Gunners could go all in on proven Premier League goalscorer Alexander Isak, who is valued by Newcastle at more than £100m.
If Arsenal agreed to pay that sort of fee, they would pass on Williams, whose wage demands would also be an issue.
But former Atletico Madrid chief Berta is thought to be a big fan of Gyokeres and was reported to have met Williams’ agent Felix Tainta just days after officially taking up his new role.
Arsenal do have to keep an eye on Profit and Sustainability Rules. They made losses of £52.1m in 2022/3 and £17.7m in 2023/4 – despite generating their highest ever revenue (£616.6m) last season thanks to a return to the Champions League.
The departures of Jorginho, Partey and Kieran Tierney will free up money in the Gunners’ wage budget.
Yet Arsenal will also need to find generous buyers for the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard to maximise their transfer kitty.
Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu would have been on their way this summer but long-term injuries have scuppered those plans.
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