Arsenal’s summer business won’t be done after Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, with the club still looking at players in two positions.
The Guardian report that Arsenal’s business is not complete this summer, even once deals for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are announced.
Ideally, Arsenal would like to add Southampton’s Romeo Lavia to their incomings, though the £50m asking price is a bit steep.
It’s widely believed a move for Lavia will end up depending on Thomas Partey’s future, as his departure would give the club the funds and the need to pursue the Southampton man more seriously.
But on top of that, the Gunners are still looking into further attacking signings, with The Guardian suggesting quality cover for Bukayo Saka is “a live issue”.
There’s also plenty of potential for movement on outgoings, with the same source suggesting at least one of Folarin Balogun and Eddie Nketiah is likely to depart.
That’s in addition to the speculation around Kieran Tierney, Partey, and others like Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nicolas Pepe, Charlie Patino, Arthur Okonkwo, Rob Holding, Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares, Nuno Tavares, and Auston Trusty.
It’s unlikely that many players on that list would bring in a significant fee, but you’d hope at least some of them would.
The players that depart will likely determine those that come in. Significant sales in any area of the pitch will probably lead to that area taking priority for incomings.
Arsenal have been very proactive with their business this summer so far, but perhaps now is the time to be a bit more reactive, waiting to see what offers are on the table before jumping into the next round of negotiations.