Arsenal transfer news LIVE: £100m Declan Rice British record bid incoming, Kylian Mbappe move, Ilkay Gundogan latest, William Saliba contract
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 chief drops Ilkay Gundogan transfer hint
- Arsenal tell West Ham they will make Declan Rice most expensive British player in history
- Arsenal identify Leicester star Timothy Castagne as alternative right-back solution
- Arsenal close to double contract breakthrough
Follow our live blog below for all the latest news from Arsenal…
The Premier League’s youngest player Ethan Nwaneri may leave Arsenal this summer.
Arsenal’s academy product’s schoolboy registration is ending this month and there are doubts over whether he is going to sign a new deal at the club, according to The Athletic.
Nwaneri is attracting interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, while Man United are also said to be looking at bringing in the 16-year-old this summer.
Arsenal have been linked with wonderkid labelled the ‘Turkish Lionel Messi’.
18-year-old Arda Guler impressed last campaign with Fenerbahce and is now attracting interest from many top teams all over Europe.
Arsenal are one of the sides interested in signing Guler this summer, with football.london reporting that the Gunners may sanction an offer for the young star alongside moves for Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.
Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that the midfielder has a £15million release clause in his contract, meaning a deal could be done for a cheap price.
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is attracting interest from Italy this summer.
Partey played a key role in the Gunners’ Premier League title push last season but his future may be in doubt.
With Mikel Arteta looking to bring in Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, the Ghanaian is likely to be offloaded is those deals go through.
And The Times report that two clubs in Italy are interested in signing the midfielder.
Rory Jennings believes that Arsenal spending £100m on Declan Rice is a ‘bargain’.
Jennings discussed the Rice to Arsenal deal live on talkSPORT’s The Transfer Insiders.
Kylian Mbappe has taken a fresh swipe at PSG in a bombshell interview.
Mbappe’s desire to depart the Ligue 1 club next year emerged earlier in the week after it was revealed he wouldn’t be extending his contract.
And this had led to interest from Arsenal and Manchester United among many other top European clubs, with Real Madrid tipped as favourites to sign the star.
Mbappe has since explained why he will be seeking a new adventure to Gazzetta dello Sport, labelling PSG’s ‘shortcomings’ as a reason.
He said: “For a player like me, the goal is to win everything.
“And we knew that at PSG there were shortcomings that sooner or later we were going to end up paying for.
“I didn’t say I wanted to be sold to Real Madrid or want to leave, but only that I won’t activate the option on the extra year.
“With PSG, there has never been any talk of a renewal.”
Arsenal are willing to break the British transfer record in order to sign Declan Rice this summer, talkSPORT understands.
The Gunners are yet to make a formal bid but have verbally indicated that they’re willing to pay a guaranteed £100million with add-ons to make him the most expensive British player in history.
The current record is held by Jack Grealish, who swapped Aston Villa for Manchester City in 2021 for a fee worth up to £100million.
Manchester United have also enquired about the player, however Rice has always preferred a move to north London.
That’s all for today’s Arsenal transfer news.
Come back to our live blog tomorrow for all the latest updates on the Gunners!
Arsenal are looking to part ways with Nicolas Pepe this summer.
The Daily Telegraph report that the Gunners are ‘seeking buyers’ for the Frenchman as they do not plan to include him in the first-team next season.
Pepe has just one year left on his deal at Arsenal and there is a chance his contract could be terminated by the end of the summer.
However the Gunners would prefer to receive a transfer fee for the 28-year-old, who has made 112 appearances for the club.
Kylian Mbappe confirmed that Arsenal were a serious option for him before he joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Yes, I met with Arsene Wenger, who is a great coach,” Mbappe told the Telegraph six years ago.
“He has a great reputation here in France, he’s well-respected and knows how to develop young players. This was a real option for me.
“But, of course, Paris Saint-Germain was the main option. We weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of all the clubs but my family told me it had to be my decision and one I needed to make.
“It also had to be a long-term decision. So it was up to me and I decided to come here in order to develop.”
Arsenal have been handed a huge boost in the race to sign Declan Rice.
According to German outlet BILD, Bayern Munich chiefs have decided not to submit a bid for the West Ham captain.
Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel was understood to be the driving force behind the club’s pursuit for Rice, but now they have officially pulled out.
Arsenal have been urged to move fast to secure Declan Rice by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
He said on his Here We Go podcast: “I really hope for Arsenal fans that this is fast. Sometimes for Arsenal, and it’s not about Edu or Arteta, it’s about the owners, sometimes to do big signings you need the approval of the owners.
“We have seen in the past with the Mykhaylo Mudryk deal and the Gabriel Jesus deal other clubs tried to come in at the end like Tottenham and Chelsea, Arsenal protected that with Edu and his Brazilian connections.
“Sometimes Arsenal are too slow due to the owners when it comes to big names. In this case they have to be fast, the timing is going to be crucial.
“We don’t know what will happen with Manchester United, maybe next week they will have new owners and who knows what happens? Maybe they enter the situation where their presence is unexpected. Being fast in this moment of the market is absolutely important.”
Kylian Mbappe’s future continues to be the subject of much debate and speculation but he once could have joined Arsenal!
Arsene Wenger revealed in 2021: “We can talk about Mbappe, I was at his home when he was undecided whether to extend his contract with Monaco.
“He could have come to Arsenal for free. I would say every club is full of histories like that.”
Ray Parlour did also tell talkSPORT his fear that Arsenal’s entire transfer budget will be wiped out to secure Declan Rice.
He told talkSPORT Breakfast: “I look at the situation now and I think the owners know they’ve got the right manager and if Edu and the manger say we desperately need (Declan Rice) I think they’ll find the money.
“The problem is what else do they need? They need a striker, Jesus was injured last season, Eddie has done a brilliant job when he came in but you still need another striker, especially if you’re in the Champions League.
“Is this all they budget they’ve got? I don’t know. Xhaka will probably move on, other players might leave, whether Thomas Partey stays I don’t know.
“That’s the problem it’s going to take up maybe all of your budget if you get Declan Rice.
“But he’s a very important player going forward. I can see him in a totally different role if he went to Arsenal.
‘They’ll have a lot more possession than West Ham and he’ll get forward a lot more, you might see more skills around the box. When you’re in a relegation battle you have to defend more at times.”
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes Declan Rice would enjoy playing with the Gunners young stars.
“I think the history as you mentioned. I mean the players they’ve had in their history and the ones that have played for Arsenal: Dennis Bergkamp, Henry, Tony Adams and Patrick Viera – top, top players,” Parlour told talkSPORT Breakfast.
“A lot of it is down to him being happy where he lives. His family are happy there and whatever. That gives them another opportunity.
“And I think it’s a club – we’ve mentioned before, it’s the youngest squad in the Premier League – and they did try and push Manchester City.
“The younger players are going to get better. Declan Rice might be looking at Saka, Martinelli, Saliba and Ødegaard. Rice might look at that and want to be part of that going forward.
“It gives you a much better chance if you’ve got better players.”
Denver Nuggets’ NBA Finals triumph has left Arsenal as the only Stan Kroenke-owned club to not win a championship.
The American billionaire has enjoyed huge success with his sports teams in the US over the past 18 months.
In February 2022, his NFL side – the Los Angeles Rams – won their second Super Bowl under his ownership when they beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lacrosse outfit Colorado Mammoth then won the NLL Championship just a few months later – their second title since Kroenke assumed control in 2004.
Ice Hockey giants Colorado Avalanche then won their second Stanley Cup under Kroenke’s ownership since 2000 when they beat Tampa Bay Lightning a week after Colorado Mammoth’s success.
And Denver Nuggets’ NBA Finals win over Miami Heat have added to Kroenke’s ever-growing trophy cabinet to complete a stunning year-and-a-half for the 75-year-old.
Arsenal have been joined in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby, according to reports.
The Mail claim that the Red Devils have considered an upgrade at left wing with concerns over Jadon Sancho’s form.
Leverkusen want around £65million for Diaby, with Arsenal already competing with Newcastle for his signature.
Arsenal have missed out on signing Evan N’Dicka.
Reports in Italy claimed the Gunners had reached an agreement to sign the Eintracht Frankfurt defender on a free transfer in December.
But now that N’Dicka is actually out of contract he has headed to Roma instead.
Laura Woods didn’t hold back when addressing a West Ham fan who believes Declan Rice can do better than Arsenal.
Speaking on Tuesday, Phil said: “I think I’m listening to talkARSENAL now, why don’t you have some West Ham people on?
“You can record this and play it back in five years’ time, there’s no chance that Arsenal will get anywhere close to winning the league, the Champions League; they probably won’t even win an FA Cup or a League Cup.”
Woods immediately cut him down, saying: “Didn’t they get close to winning the league this year? Didn’t they get closer than anybody apart from the team who won the league? Didn’t they get a lot closer than you did? You were closer to relegation, weren’t you Phil?”
Hammers supporter Phil added: “If he’s going to go anywhere in England, I’d like it to be Man City. They’ve won more cups this season than Arsenal have in the last 10 years.”
But Woods was having none of it, replying: “But why does that matter? Arsenal have a lot more history. I thought that supporting a club like West Ham you’d appreciate history.”
Phil responded: “We’ve got a lot more history than Arsenal, let’s be honest. At least we won the World Cup [with England in 1966].”
To which Woods replied: “That’s why I said it! You could also say that Arsenal won the World Cup with France [in 1998].”
Arsenal legend Kevin Campbell believes Declan Rice’s signing is proof his old club are a serious force once again.
On reports the move is a done deal, Campbell told Highbury Squad: “There is only one club he is going to. If you said that to me, just like you did, then I would politely agree with you and say ‘yes, I get it’. Remember, we are the only London team in the Champions League.
“Now we have to get the Rice and peas in, with a little bit of Caicedo bread. I think we need to strengthen our midfield properly.
“I think this signing is proof that we are serious as a football club again. That’s how important the Declan Rice signing is for Arsenal. England international. He has been unbelievable. Still 24. Fantastic young player. Nowhere near his prime yet.”
Arsenal have indicated to West Ham they will pay a guaranteed transfer fee of £100million to buy Declan Rice this summer, talkSPORT understands.
The Gunners are yet to make a formal bid for the midfielder, but clubs chiefs have told West Ham bosses the deal will be done this summer.
Hammers owner David Sullivan admitted to talkSPORT last week that Rice has played his final game for the side after captaining them to Europa Conference League glory.
Manchester United have also enquired about the England international, but Rice has always wanted to join Arsenal to remain in London.
A £100million plus add-ons deal would make him the most expensive British footballer in history, eclipsing Jack Grealish and his transfer to Man City last summer.
Arsenal legend Mikael Silvestre has claimed Mikel Arteta should keep Kieran Tierney this summer.
He told Bettingexpert: “I think it’s important that Arsenal find a way to retain Kieran Tierney.
“Fighting for the title, playing in the Champions League again, you need two international level players in almost every position. So, they need to find a way to convince him that he’s part of the plan for next season.”
“He should have a lot of clubs looking for him because it’s hard to find a player to play left-back these days. The Premier League, he has the attribute to play for any team and it makes sense for Villa and Newcastle to be chasing him.”
Arsenal fans firmly believe that Declan Rice will join this summer following his arrival for England duty on Monday.
The midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to the Gunners with his time at West Ham ending appearing inevitable.
When meeting his teammates at St George’s Park, he hugged Aaron Ramsdale and was all smiles when he saw Bukayo Saka.
Newcastle star Joelinton has revealed he received racist abuse after a game against Arsenal.
“It’s an important moment to speak about racism,” said Joelinton.
“We have been talking about it for a long time. Still, many things need to be changed. We talk about a combat against racism, but we don’t have much of a change.. This (racism) is not something happening now, but for a long time.
“And, at the 21st century, we still see things like that. It’s hard to accept and believe that we are evolving when things like that still happen.
“Not on the pitch, no. But after the match against Arsenal, at home, I received some messages with racist insults. but it’s gone. It didn’t affect me.”
Hello and welcome back to our Arsenal live blog – our top stories this morning are…
Kylian Mbappe has reportedly told Paris Saint-Germain he won’t be extending his contract until 2025.
This means that the club have to make a decision on cashing in this summer or letting him leave for free at the end of the next season.
Reports in France have claimed should PSG be forced to let Mbappe leave now then they will priotise any club over Real Madrid following the dispute between the two teams over the forward’s signature last year.
And Football.London have named Arsenal as one of the teams who would be in with a chance.
That’s all for Arsenal transfer news today.
Come back to our liveblog tomorrow for the latest news on the Gunners!
