Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Declan Rice and Joao Cancelo latest, Mason Mount agreement blow, huge William Saliba contract update
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news, gossip and rumours from Arsenal in talkSPORT's live blog.
The summer window is almost open and Mikel Arteta is out to boost his squad to give them the best chance of mounting another title charge next season.
The Gunners came close to a first Premier League title in 19 years having finished five points behind champions Manchester City.
With City's dominance unlikely to waver and the clubs who finished below them set to get stronger, Arsenal are now set for huge activity both in and out of the Emirates to maintain their status alongside the elite.
Top stories
- Arsenal target and Chelsea star Mason Mount agrees personal terms with Manchester United
- Arsenal still favourites for Declan Rice despite Bayern Munich entering race
- Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with a shock swoop for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard
- Granit Xhaka has appeared to confirm that he's leaving Arsenal with cryptic goodbye
- Mikel Arteta hints that further contract extensions could be on the way after Bukayo Saka's new deal
Follow our live blog below for all the latest news from Arsenal…
Arsenal are said to be in pole position to sign Montpellier wonderkid Elye Wahi.
Foot Mercato report that the Gunners are leading the race for his signature ahead of rivals Tottenham and Monaco.
The 20-year-old became the joint-youngest player in Ligue 1 history to hit 10 goals in a season last term with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
Michail Antonio has claimed that Emiliano Martinez has made an upwards move since leaving Arsenal for Aston Villa.
The West Ham star told Filthy Fellas podcast: “He’s been everywhere but now he’s won the World Cup, it’s crazy.
“Technically, it was an upwards move [from Arsenal to Aston Villa].
“He’s not talking an upwards move as in Aston Villa’s a bigger club than Arsenal.
“It’s an upwards move in terms of he’s going to play first-team football. So, he’s going there to play whereas at Arsenal he was always in and out of the team.”
Former Arsenal player Lucas Torreira paid a touching tribute to his late mother.
The midfielder was celebrating Galatasaray’s Super Lig title triumph this week following a 4-1 win over Ankaragucu on Tuesday.
And during the celebrations, Torreira (below left) was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of himself kissing his late mother Viviana on the cheek.
Arsenal’s top target Declan Rice is still keeping his options open amid interest from Bayern Munich.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said on his Here We Go podcast: “It’s true that there is also Bayern [Munich] interest, but at the moment it’s not that advanced, so Arsenal still feel they are the favourites to sign Declan Rice.
“But again, this is not something guaranteed yet. From what I understand, we had some reports in England the last two, three days that Rice already made it clear that he only wants to join Arsenal. I’m told this is not clear yet.
“I was speaking to some sources and they told me be careful because Declan Rice is keeping all the options open. Of course, Arsenal is a concrete option but this is not 100 per cent guaranteed yet.
“So I think this is still an open race. They want more than £100million for Rice so this going to be a big fight, but for sure Arsenal are in the race.”
Arsenal’s chances of signing Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan have been squashed.
Tim Sherwood told the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast: “I think if Barcelona come [in] or Real Madrid I think he’s got to jump and take that opportunity as he’s done it all here.
“Where’s he going to go? I can’t see him playing for another Premier League side.
“I know Mikel Arteta wants to take him, he knows the player inside-out, he’ll fit into anyone’s team.
“Man City will be all right without him, they’re not worried about [Ilkay] Gundogan, I love him, I think he’s brilliant.”
Declan Rice is reportedly still leading towards joining Arsenal over Bayern Munich.
The Times are reporting that Thomas Tuchel told the West Ham captain personally that he sees him as the perfect holding midfielder for his Bayern Munich team.
And despite the Bundesliga giants being prepared to spent a club record fee on Rice, the prospect of staying in London and not having to relocate his young family remains a bigger priority.
The report adds that Arteta has been determined to sign Rice, who is still leaning towards Arsenal.
Martin Odegaard is not for sale this summer!
Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with a swoop for the Arsenal captain Odegaard, but the club are instead planning on fresh contract talks to secure his long-term future.
The Evening Standard claim Odegaard is so settled in London that he is spending the first part of his summer break there before returning to Norway to see his family.
Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum has signed a new deal with the club.
“It feels great – I love Arsenal and I’m looking forward to continuing my time here,” said Maanum.
“This is a place where I can develop and learn from the players around me and take steps both on and off the pitch. We’ve had some really special moments this season and the connection with our supporters has been fantastic, so I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum has signed a new deal with the club.
“It feels great – I love Arsenal and I’m looking forward to continuing my time here,” said Maanum.
“This is a place where I can develop and learn from the players around me and take steps both on and off the pitch. We’ve had some really special moments this season and the connection with our supporters has been fantastic, so I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
Romelu Lukaku would score more goals leading Arsenal’s line than Gabriel Jesus.
When asked by talkSPORT’s Andy Goldstein whether he would take Lukaku at Arsenal, Bent said on Drive: “Yes. Without a doubt.”
Pressed whether that would mean offloading Jesus, Bent stated: “No, I’m not getting rid of anyone, but I’d have him.”
Questioned whether he would start Lukaku over the Brazilian, the former Sunderland star remarked: “Do you know what? He would get us more goals than Gabriel Jesus.
“What Gabriel Jesus did at Arsenal [this season] was brilliant, but there were times he would frustrate me because he wasn’t in the box enough.
“There were times the ball would flash across the box and no one was in there – he’s on the edge of the box. But Lukaku, I know he’s in there.”
Arsenal has been warned about their plans to sign Brighton star Moises Caicedo this summer.
Talking about the midfielder, Leeds manager Allardyce told the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast: “Did Caicedo not play right-back for Brighton in the last few games? Unbelievable.
Sherwood then added: “They’ve got to be very careful with that one because [Yves] Bissouma was talked about in the same vein and he went to Tottenham and he’s hardly played.”
Arsenal will keep Emile Smith Rowe this summer despite his injury-hit season, The Athletic has reported.
The 22-year-old failed to start a Premier League game for the Gunners this term.
He had to undergo groin surgery over the World Cup break which limited his game time.
Smith Rowe has been linked with a move but Arsenal are reportedly not looking to let him go.
The youngster is set to star for England’s Under-21 at this summer’s European Championships and will hope to rejuvenate his career heading into the new season.
First up this morning, Arsenal target Mason Mount looks set to join Manchester United after the Chelsea star agreed personal terms with the club, talkSPORT understands.
Arsenal are also interested in the 24-year-old England international but he now looks all set on a move to Old Trafford.
United are yet to make a formal offer to sign Mount from Chelsea who value him at £80million.
The Blues are open to selling the midfielder with his contract to expire in 2024 and Arsenal are still keen to try and rival United for his signature.
That’s all for our Arsenal transfer blog this evening!
Make sure to head back tomorrow for all the latest news and rumours surrounding the Gunners!
Arsenal are struggling to agree a new deal for William Saliba, putting Paris Saint-Germain on red alert.
The French defender has just one year remaining on his current deal worth £40,000-a-week and the Gunners are keen to get him tied down.
According to The Sun, Arsenal are ready to offer the 22-year-old an improved contract worth £120,000-a-week as they look to build a solid defensive line to help the club challenge for top honours.
However, the north London club have been rocked by the huge demands made by the player’s representatives, leaving both parties in limbo.
The breakdown in negotiations is being closely monitored by Paris Saint-Germain who have been admirers of the centre-back for some time.
But Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has no plans to part with Saliba and sees him as part of the club’s long-term plans.
Former Arsenal target Edon Zhegrova is in high demand!
The Lille winger was heavily linked with a switch to the Emirates last summer after reports emerged that they’d submitted a £6million bid.
But Zhegrova, under contract until June 2026, ultimately stayed put and is now being eyed by Napoli and Milan.
Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has named the three players his old club should be targeting this month.
He says via The Sun: “James Maddison from Leicester. I also really like Ward-Prowse. He is a player that can change a game on his own.
“Every team needs a player that can change a game in a heartbeat. You know when Arsenal used to play Stoke, Rory Delap was a player that could change a game on his own because of his long throws.
“Ward-Prowse is a master at set pieces. When a game is locked and you have a player with his ability, that is so dangerous.”
Adding: “I think that the only way for Arsenal to allow Xhaka to leave is by signing Declan Rice. If Xhaka leaves, then I would hope Arsenal may very well have something lined up with Rice.”
Jermaine Pennant reacted in disbelief when a fan suggested that Arsenal could sign Harry Kane from rivals Tottenham.
The talkSPORT pundit said: “That’s never going to happen. No chance.
“I can tell you now, categorically, Harry Kane would not go to Arsenal and ruin his legacy.”
England Women have called up Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy for the World Cup this summer.
But the Lionesses are without captain Leah Williamson for the tournament, with the Arsenal star out after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last month.
Fellow Gunners ace Beth Mead also fails to make the cut having sustained an ACL injury in November.
“I have huge belief in this squad and we’re very fortunate to be selecting a fantastic group of players to travel to Australia,” said England Women manager Sarina Wiegman.
“We know we will face tough challenges from strong teams, and we will have to be competitive from the first match on 22 July. We will do everything to be at our very best again this summer.
“It is important the players get some well-deserved time to rest and recover over the next few weeks before we start the final preparations to get them ready.
“We learned a lot of positive lessons about how to get the players fit, fresh and ready from the EURO last summer and we know what we have to do to make sure we hit the ground running in the right way when the tournament starts.”
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was left baffled when Thomas Tuchel rejected the chance to sign Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus last summer.
The Guardian claim the Blues had made a last ditch effort to hijack the Brazilian’s transfer from Manchester City to north London.
But the report adds that Tuchel was the driving force behind preventing the move which led to surprise among the board.
Arsenal are reportedly battling Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea in the race to sign Freiburg starlet Noah Darvich.
Sport1 claim that ‘half of Europe’ already want to snap up the 16-year-old, with Arsenal among the club’s chasing his signature alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Ajax.
The report adds that Man City are thought to be leading the race for the captain of the Germany Under-17 side and Pep Guardiola has already put out feelers to Darvich that he would like to bring him to England.
Tottenham are interested in signing Tyler Adams from Leeds who once confessed to being an Arsenal fan.
“I was an Arsenal fan growing up so when he (Thierry Henry) made the transition to New York it was amazing for me because I was in the academy, Adams told Keel in 2020.
“He was someone I was able to go to the games and watch right in front of my eyes. Thierry was a huge childhood hero of mine. Being able to watch him, the way he scored goals, just how good he was. He’s world class, of course. That was really cool.”
Tony Adams has shared his fear that Arsenal’s second place last season could be as good as it gets for the club.
He wrote in the Sun: “Mikel Arteta worked wonders to get Arsenal into second place considering the players he had at his disposal.
“But when a manager has massively over-performed and raised a club’s expectations so high, there’s often a fallout if the level of improvement isn’t maintained the following season.
“And when that happens, he’s often gone by Christmas.
“Now I am not for one minute suggesting that the Gunners are going to be getting rid of Arteta, but I do fear that this could be as good as it gets for them.
“Talk of Arsenal bottling the title race was nonsense because they played to their absolute maximum and came up just short of the best team in the world.
“No one expected them to finish so high but the downside to all that is where do they go from here?
“I hate to sound like a prophet of doom, but I do believe that a lot of this team has already peaked.
“It was possibly the best season that many of them will ever have. I don’t think they’ll get to that level again.”
Arsenal are being linked with a move for Hakan Calhanoglu.
The Inter Milan midfielder, who only has one year left on his deal, publicly stated he was close to signing an extension with the Champions League finalists last week but interest from the Gunners may sway him.
Inter Live claim that Arsenal could launch a £30million-plus raid to sign Calhanoglu as a replacement for Granit Xhaka, who is expected to leave for Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Martin Keown has urged Arsenal to sign a new midfielder and right-back.
“To go one better next season and win the title, they’ll need to strengthen in all departments,’ Keown told William Hill.
“Definitely in midfield – Thomas Partey has been injured for long periods and also had a dip in form this season, so they’ll want to bring in another midfielder.
“Also at right-back, there’s an area that they’ll want to strengthen, with Takehiro Tomiyasu having been injured, so they’ll need to buy a recognised right-back as well. But I’m sure the club will target a top midfield player, they’ve been linked with lots of players, so let’s see what happens for the start of next season.”
