Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Declan Rice offer imminent, Moises Caicedo twist, Gunners offer Ilkay Gundogan contract, Ivan Fresneda latest
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
- Chelsea enter Moises Caicedo race
- Arsenal close to double contract breakthrough
- 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
Follow our live blog below for all the latest news from Arsenal…
That’s all for today’s Arsenal news.
Visit our live blog tomorrow for the latest updates on the Gunners!
Arsenal are still interested in signing Joao Cancelo this summer.
However, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth says that the Gunners and Manchester City have a gap in their respective valuation of the right-back.
Cancelo spent the second half of the season on loan at Bayern Munich, making 21 appearances for the club.
However, the Bundesliga champions have not exercised the option to make his move permanent this summer.
Arsenal could be closing in on a deal to keep Reiss Nelson at the club.
Fabrizio Romano reports that an agreement for a new four-year deal, with the option for an extra year, is ‘very close’.
The winger looked set to leave in the summer as his current deal with the Gunners approached expiration.
However, Nelson’s stay in north London looks likely to be extended following a solid campaign despite limited minutes.
talkSPORT understands Arsenal have been dealt a possible blow in their bid to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
The Seagulls are lining up a £40million bid for Chelsea’s Levi Colwill after seeing a £30m bid turned down.
But they are willing to include Caicedo in a part-exchange for the centre-back, which would leave the Gunners at a disadvantage unless they have a player that Brighton want.
If they don’t, the Gunners would need to stump up the cash for Caicedo, while Chelsea could offer money and Colwill to get the deal done.
Arsenal are advancing ahead with a deal for Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey.
Reports in Turkey indicate the Gunners are now locked in transfer talks for the Frenchman to move to north London this summer.
The Gunners are looking for a new right-back and have identified Ivan Fresneda as a target as well, but believe they can sign Boey for 20 million Euros [£17.2m].
Arsenal are preparing to announce a pre-season friendly against Monaco in the same week the Gunners face Manchester City in the Community Shield.
The Evening Standard confirm the match is set to take place on Wednesday, August 2.
It will form a part of the Emirates Cup and will be the first time since the tournament was launched that it won’t take place on a weekend.
Last year saw the Emirates Cup change from a four-team event to just a one-off game, and it’s no different this year, with the Community Shield and Premier League season taking priority.
Former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell believes that the Gunners should cash in on Folarin Balogun this summer to help fund other transfers.
The striker enjoyed a brilliant season on loan at Reims in Ligue 1 and will return to the Emirates looking for more first-team game time.
But Campbell can’t see it and he thinks the London giants should sell him.
Speaking to YouTuber Egal, he said: “I think Balogun’s done fantastically well in France. He’s done superb. But the Premier League’s a different kettle of fish.
“Now, will he play? No, I don’t think he’ll play at Arsenal. And now he’s been playing, he wants to keep that momentum going.
“So I think, coming from Balogun, he’s going to say, ‘I want to play’. And he’s not going to be a starter at Arsenal.
So I think, what do we need? We need the money. Cash in, get the money.
“You can always get a buy-back clause in there if he goes absolutely mental, just like a lot of the other clubs do.”
So talkSPORT understands an offer for Declan Rice is set to go in this week once West Ham’s Europa Conference League final concludes.
The Gunners are prepared to submit a formal bid for the Hammers captain, and looking at these statistics, you can see why Mikel Arteta is so keen on the England international.
He is no longer just a defensive midfielder and would add a different dynamic to Arsenal’s midfield.
Arsenal remain confident of signing West Ham captain Declan Rice, talkSPORT understands.
The Gunners are set to make a formal approach for Rice after tomorrow’s Europa Conference League final.
Rice is also wanted by Bayern Munich but is believed to prefer a move to the Emirates over the German giants.
Manchester United have been asked to be kept informed on developments but do not consider themselves front-runners.
West Ham still expecting to make more than £100million from Rice this summer.
Arsenal were hoping to get Declan Rice to join the club this summer for around £80million until Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez and inflated the market, according to Ben Jacobs.
Speaking on The Done Deal Show, the talkSPORT International commentator and CBS reporter said: “Arsenal tick a lot of boxes for Declan Rice, he speaks glowingly about Mikel Arteta, he has Champions League football, he can stay in London and he likes the project, personal terms are not thought to be a problem either.
“The only real worry for Arsenal is that someone else comes in higher. Arsenal want to pay under £100m, the feeling a few months ago was that £75-80m would be enough for Rice, but since then, we’ve had Enzo Fernandez.
“Rice is such a high priority because they think he ticks every single box, proven Premier League quality, drops into the side, he’s a leader, he’s a great personality and you can drop him into any Premier League side.”
Laura Woods’ reaction to Chelsea’s interest in Moises Caicedo perfectly summed up how every Arsenal fan is feeling right now.
The Blues have made the Brighton star their top summer target now Manuel Ugarte is heading to Paris Saint-Germain.
Caicedo is a player who has long been linked to the Gunners, even trying to force a move to the north Londoners in January.
However, they face huge competition other clubs this summer if they want to land the £80million-rated midfielder.
Arsenal fan Woods could not hide her frustration at as money-bags Chelsea look set to gazump them.
Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, she said: “I’ve got another Chelsea one, apparently they’re keen on Moises Caicedo. Oh for god’s sake…”
Asking talkSPORT chief football correspondent Alex Crook, Woodsy added: “How likely is that one to go through?”
Crook replied: “I think it’s quite likely…”
Cue Woodsy hiding her face with a piece of paper…
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has revealed that Arsenal target Ilkay Gundogan has chosen a move to Barcelona.
Speaking on his YouTube show FIVE, he praised the Manchester City man but suggested he won’t be joining the Gunners.
He said: “He has been immense – when it has mattered, he has come up trumps, either with goals, performances, the control of games, the pace and tempo goes through him and Rodri a lot of the time.
“He defines everything that’s good about this team, I think. He is very calm under pressure. Never seems like a hair out of place. He’s just there.
“It shows you why he was captain – there is a calm authority about him. He plays off both feet. Comfortable – he impacts the game anywhere he plays on the pitch. I love him.
“[on Gundogan’s future] Barca, I heard it’s Barca. That’s still big wages. Maybe [Lione] Messi as well. [Sergio] Busquets has gone off the wage bill, probably on £200k-a-week. [Gerard] Pique. [Jordi] Alba.”
Ahead of West Ham’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina, Michail Antonio has claimed that Arsenal target Declan Rice can still get much better even if he is already one of the best in the Premier League.
The Hammers captain is the Gunners’ top transfer target this summer and the London giants will submit a £90million offer once West Ham’s season finishes.
There are also reports that personal terms between Rice and the club have been agreed.
And speaking ahead of West Ham’s game, Antonio lauded the England international.
He said: “What I see every day in training, he’s got so much more to do, so much more to learn.
“But what he’s doing right now, he’s up there as one of the best in the league already.
“I love him as a player, I love him as a person.”
Hello, and welcome back to talkSPORT.com’s live Arsenal transfer blog. We start with a round-up of the biggest stories.
The pursuit for midfield reinforcements dominates any transfer talk relating to the Gunners, with reports in Spain suggesting Arsenal have now offered Ilkay Gundogan a two-year contract.
They have offered less money than Barcelona’s £9million-per-year but believe the lure of staying in the Premier League and working with Mikel Arteta could sway the German.
But Gundogan also has offers from Manchester City and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have also joined the race for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia but face competition from Chelsea and Manchester United.
Plus, the Saints want between £40m-£50m despite being relegated from the Premier League.
Arsenal are in a three-way battle for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo as the Gunners look to strengthen their midfield.
However, the club are also facing a three-way fight for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, according to the Daily Mail.
They report Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all in the race for the young Belgian midfielder.
But despite being relegated to the Championship, the Saints want between £40m-£50m to part ways with Lavia.
Leicester City have confirmed that Arsenal target Youri Tielemans will leave the club this summer once his contract expires.
The Foxes were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the 2022/23 season and announced the departures of several players, including the Belgian international.
Tielemans has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates in the past and the Gunners would only have to cover his wages should they go for him.
However, as things stand, it appears Declan Rice remains the number one target, which means Tielemans could end up elsewhere.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes that the Gunners enjoyed a better campaign than Manchester United this season.
United won the Carabao Cup and finished third but suffered some embarrassing away defeats.
Meanwhile, the Gunners ended the year trophyless but pushed Manchester City all the way in the Premier League title race until they crumbled at the end.
But despite that, Keown thinks Arsenal were still better.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “You are judged on the league table.
“The League Cup isn’t one that you would put that high on your list. It’s a moment of success and we were told they [Man United] would go on to do special things. I am not sure that happened.
“Arsenal have been somewhat better than Man United in the league this season.
“They got more points away from home than Man City did. They fell away, but when you really look at it, home form has cost Arsenal the title.”
Arsenal target Ivan Fresneda now has a release clause of around £17million.
That’s the fee Relevo are reporting following Real Valladolid’s relegation from La Liga.
The Gunners were linked with the 18-year-old during the January transfer window, with Borussia Dortmund also keen.
Fabrizio Romano says the latter’s interest is strong, with Arsenal also intrigued but yet to make a bid.
Dean Saunders claimed that while West Ham star Declan Rice would improve Arsenal he would also fit in at Liverpool.
“If I’m Arsenal, I’m thinking he’s definitely going to improve our team, if you put him in Arsenal’s team, and Arsenal are probably the nearest to Man City at the moment,” Saunders said live on talkSPORT.
“But Liverpool, I’m interested in seeing what they’re going to do because he gets in their team as well.
“He’d definitely make their team better. They need a couple of players, and they need one exactly like him, of that ilk.”
Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal exit is reportedly on hold.
The Switzerland international has been heavily linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen as he enters the final year of his deal.
But According to Kicker, his departure has been put on hold because Arsenal want to sign his replacement first with deals for both Declan Rice and Ilkay Gundogan mooted.
Arsenal have been warned by talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan that they’ve got themselves in a bad position over William Saliba.
The French defender has just one year remaining on his current deal but talks over an extension have reportedly stalled.
Gunners Invincible Martin Keown told White & Jordan: “He’s been immense this year. He was almost a better player out the team and he was bloody good in the team!
“He was allowed to go on loan for three years, which might have been not perfect. So he has seen other things. I am hoping he is just posturing for the best money he can (get), because he is a really important player.”
“He has seen what Saka is getting,” adds Jordan.
“Good centre-halves are very, very rare. He is a commodity. I don’t want to see him getting £200,000-a-week but this is the nature of the beast.
“It would be a very poor situation if they did lose this player.”
Ally McCoist has urged Declan Rice to choose Arsenal over Manchester United this summer.
Asked about the West Ham captain’s future, McCoist told talkSPORT Breakfast: “It’s a funny one. Over the weekend and over the season, if I’m Declan Rice and I’m weighing up my options, I am thinking I’d probably rather go to Arsenal than Manchester United.
“I look at Manchester United over the weekend, and I know they’ve won the League Cup, but they look as though they’re four or five players behind Manchester City.
“I still think Arsenal are well behind Manchester City, but I think they’ve got the potential to get nearer to them quicker.”
Former Arsenal defender Dan Ballard has revealed he chose Sunderland over Premier League new-boys Burnley when he left the Emirates last summer.
“(Vincent Kompany) was very complimentary,” Ballard revealed, via The Athletic. “He said it was one of the positions he wanted to nail down. He felt I could perform what he wanted to do on the ball.”
“Burnley had just come down from the Premier League. And Sunderland had just come up from League One. But felt I could play more of a pivotal role at Sunderland,” Ballard add.
“Burnley have had a great season getting promotion but I feel that I’m a big part of the team.
“My whole career I have gone into games nervous and unsure; ‘Oh, he’s a quick striker, I need to be careful’, ‘If I get the ball where am I going to play it?’.
“I had these worries. But, during this season, I feel really confident in myself for the first time. It’s exciting going into games now.”
Arthur Okonkwo could stay at Austrian Bundesliga side Sturm Graz after impressing since arriving on loan in January.
“There will also be a personal meeting. He flew to London today, so we’ll see what comes of it,” the club’s sporting director Andreas Schicker told Sky Austria.
“I have a feeling he would like to stay.
“I also think that, from a sporting perspective, there can be nothing better than playing for Sturm Graz next year.”
Leicester are demanding at least £40million for Arsenal target James Maddison this summer.
According to The Athletic, Maddison, who has a year left on his contract , is valued at £40million but the relegated Foxes could receive more if a bidding war ensues.
Arsenal are among the clubs rumoured to be interested in signing the 26-year-old, but face competition from Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United.
