Arsenal are currently working on signing a centre-back for next season, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on social media.

Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on February 16, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on February 16, 2020, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The Guardian journalist wrote on Twitter that Arsenal are currently ‘working on’ a centre-back for next season. Whether this means a specific defender or just the position generally isn’t clear, but it’s interesting news all the same.

Romano is widely considered one of the most reliable journalists for transfer news. His ‘here we go’ line to confirm a transfer became so well-known that Arsenal even used it in the summer announcement of Nicolas Pepe. If he says he knows something, it’s worth noting.

I’m sure plenty of Arsenal fans won’t see this as news. It’s almost an expectation the club will go after centre-backs at this point. I’d argue it wasn’t a sure thing, though.

Arsenal have a lot of defenders on the books right now. There’s Sokratis, Luiz, Mustafi, Mari, Holding and Chambers at the club, in addition to Saliba, Mavropanos, Olowu and Ballard, who all spent time on loan this season.

Add in youth centre-backs like Zech Medley (19), Mark McGuinness (19) and Harry Clarke (18), and Arsenal are clearly going to have a huge job selling defenders if they want to bring more in this summer.

Evidently, that’s the plan. If they can shift five or six of the above, that will really help to raise funds. It’s just not an easy task.