Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have joined Arsenal in the race for Pablo Fornals, according to reports.
Pablo Fornals
TeamTalk claim in an exclusive that Arsenal face competition from Manchester City and Spurs for the 23-year-old Villarreal star.
They write that Fornals first caught Arsenal’s eye 18 months ago and the club considered a move in January. That didn’t end up happening, of course, presumably due to the financial restrictions in the winter window.
However, TeamTalk claim Fornals knows he could earn more by moving to the Premier League than any of his other options, and his €25m release clause is proving appealing to all three English sides. The Gunners reportedly see him as the ‘ideal replacement for Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey’.
An established first-team regular with Malaga before paying his own release clause of £10m to join Villarreal in 2017, Fornals has four goals and four assists this season in 35 games. He’s an attacking midfielder with a strong shot from distance, who loves a tackle and is able to hold onto the ball well.
The Spaniard also currently wears the number 8 in Spain, a shirt which will be up for grabs in North London this summer.
Click ‘Next’ for 3 more possible midfield signings this summer
Isco
- Age: 26
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Club: Real Madrid
- Contract until: 2022
- Estimated market value: £67.5m
Arsenal are reportedly watching the situation of Real Madrid playmaker Isco, as the 26-year-old struggles to start under new boss Santiago Solari.
Since Solari took over as manager of the La Liga side, Isco has found himself on the bench or out of the squad completely on almost every occasion. His only starts have come in cup games or dead rubber group stage matches.
It’s not as if Real are particularly suffering without him either. Their form seems roughly the same regardless of whether he’s there or not. As a result, the rumours of an Isco exit are starting to return.
The Daily Mail write that Arsenal are ‘watching the situation’, and they list the club as one of three Premier League sides the midfielder could end up joining. The other two are Chelsea and Manchester City, so it’s fair to say there’s competition.
The Mail also go on to point out that although Isco has played under Emery before, at Valencia, the two didn’t necessarily always see eye-to-eye. The Real Madrid man felt he deserved more first-team game time, after making most of his appearances for the Valencia B team in 2009/10 and 2010/11. He then left for Malaga in 2011.
Nonetheless, Emery did give the playmaker his senior debut, so there are positives and negatives to the story. Perhaps the Arsenal head coach could rekindle the relationship now that Isco is an established player.
Click ‘Next’ for more possible midfield signings this summer
Houssem Aouar
- Age: 20
- Position: Central Midfield
- Club: Olympique Lyon
- Contract until: 2023
- Estimated market value: £36m
Arsenal are also tracking Olympique Lyonnais star Houssem Aouar, according to reports.
The Daily Mail write that Arsenal have been scouting Aouar for the last 18 months, and they consider him someone who could replace Aaron Ramsey in North London, but the same could be true of Mesut Özil. The Lyon midfielder’s performances in this season’s Champions League have reportedly particularly caught Unai Emery’s eye.
The Week write that Aouar is ‘near the top’ of Emery’s list of players to sign. Although Chelsea were initially planning to rival Arsenal for the 20-year-old’s signature, they then turned their attention to Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic instead.
Aouar has six goals and five assists in 34 appearances for Lyon this season. He’s mostly playing in central midfield but has also spent some time on the left.
The youngster has also scored in both of his most recent u21 appearances for France. There were rumours that he might get a senior call-up before he picked up a knock immediately before the last international break.
A strong passer who contributes well defensively and counter-attacks impressively, Aouar could fit well in Emery’s side. We’ll see if Arsenal decide to move for him in the next couple of windows.
Click ‘Next’ for more possible midfield signings this summer
Ruben Neves
- Age: 21
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Club: Wolves
- Contract until: 2023
- Estimated market value: £36m
Arsenal and Manchester City are interested in Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves, who prefers to stay in the Premier League than move abroad, according to reports in Portugal.
Neves certainly wouldn’t be a direct replacement for Mesut Özil or Aaron Ramsey, playing a much more defensive role, but that would be fairly consistent with a lot of Unai Emery’s teams this season.
The Neves story actually started in Italy, with Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) reporting that Juventus had met with Jeorge Mendes over a possible move for the Wolves man. However, Portuguese outlet Record then took over, claiming Neves would rather stay in the Premier League, where he’s already wanted by Arsenal and Manchester City.
Neves has been a crucial part of Wolves’ success over the last season and a half. After leaving Porto for the then Championship side, the midfielder helped his new team on an impressive promotion push. Since then, he’s been just as effective in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old is a very well rounded midfielder. He can pass, he has a deadly long-shot, he can take free kicks, and he’s also good at winning the ball back and staying focused out of possession.
Playing a more defensive position in the Wolves side, Neves perhaps doesn’t get involved in the goals as much as other midfielders. That’s not really his job though. Nonetheless, he has scored a couple of league goals this season, including one against Spurs and one against Liverpool.