Arsenal are battling Paris-Saint Germain for the signing of an international legend this summer, with concrete talks already held and two offers on the table for his services as clubs attempt to sway him in their direction.
Arsenal targeting new midfielder this summer
The Gunners enjoyed a record-breaking night in the Champions League on Tuesday, becoming the first team in European history to score seven goals away from home in the knockout stages with a 7-1 victory at PSV Eindhoven.
Off the field, the Gunners are already preparing for next season, after seeing their chances of winning a first Premier League title in over two decades falter at the hands of Liverpool.
With both Jorginho and Thomas Partey out of contract at the end of this season, and free to find new clubs, Arsenal are working on bringing in cover for the exit-bound duo.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Man Utd (away) |
March 9th |
|
Chelsea (home) |
March 16th |
|
Fulham (home) |
April 1st |
|
Everton (away) |
April 5th |
|
Brentford (home) |
April 12th |
Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi is reliably believed to be a key target for Mikel Arteta in this regard, with reports as far back as January suggesting that the north Londoners had entered pre-summer talks with the Spain international and intend to trigger his £51 million release clause.
While Arsenal are confident they can seal the signing of Zubimendi, it is far from a foregone conclusion, and other interested clubs could still come into the fold despite loose terms being verbally agreed in regard to wage structure and other contract details (Ben Jacobs).
If an agreement for Zubimendi falls through, Arsenal have been linked with other big names as alternatives.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is an option for Arsenal, after he was recently offered out to Arteta’s side by representatives (The Boot Room), while Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich will be available on a free transfer this summer.
Arsenal battling PSG to sign Joshua Kimmich
The 97-cap international could be one of the bargains of the summer, considering his pedigree, experience and versatility, which will be attractive to Arteta.
Arsenal are believed to be working on Kimmich as a target, according to reports in Germany, with Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg sharing an update of his own. Plettenberg writes that the 30-year-old has two formal written offers to quit Bayern, one of them from PSG and another from an unnamed club, with the former said to have held concrete talks already.
Arsenal are still in the race for Kimmich, though, but face stiff competition from Luis Enrique’s side as they also weigh up other potential options.
He will be a sore miss for Vincent Kompany if Bayern cannot reach an agreement on a new deal.