Arsenal could be on the way to their first major summer addition outside of their youth acquisitions and David Raya’s permanent switch. Riccardo Calafiori is of very keen interest, football.london understands and the Italian has piqued the attention of Mikel Arteta.
A ball-playing defender who can play as a left sided centre-half or left-back, Calafiori would add great depth to an area of the Arsenal team which has seen much upheaval throughout the last season. There is uncertainty over the futures of both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko meaning that there is certainly need for the role.
However, should a deal be done for the Italian there is still need elsewhere. It is understood by football.london that despite the move for Calafiori, central midfielder remains the priority for the window to ensure that a quality addition is made.
With that in mind, we take a look at how a dream window might evolve following the prospective arrival of the Bologna defender. Midfield remains incredibly difficult to predict considering the options that are and are not available or even present in this market.
Noise surrounding Bruno Guimaraes has gone incredibly quiet while Youssouf Fofana remains a cheaper option but again little sounding out of Arsenal has taken place in this particular case file. That said, Joao Gomes of Wolves remains for me a target of supreme intrigue and perhaps a player to get before his profile grows any further.
Arsenal can often wait too long to look at players and by the time they act the price tag has gone through the roof as other elite clubs make their moves. Already a Brazil international, Gomes has been an excellent addition to the Premier League and his transition with Wolves sets him up perfectly to take the next step to Arsenal.
READ MORE: Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal explained as £208million investment plan is not slowing down
READ MORE: Arsenal priority transfer target finally unveiled but Edu must beat Chelsea to kickstart summer
Joan Garcia might be of interest to Arsenal but he might indeed be a perfect option to bring in as the club’s second-choice goalkeeper to David Raya. Aaron Ramsdale remains expected to leave after enduring a difficult and restricted campaign and the 23-year-old Espanyol stopper possesses an alluring profile to help build a good core of Spanish keepers.
Into the forward line and a centre forward looks increasingly less likely as a signing. Benjamin Sesko might indeed have been put on a year delay following his contract renewal with RB Leipzig and considering how good Kai Havertz was as the season concluded Arsenal’s vision for the role was understood to have changed.
Therefore it is a wide player that might instead be looked at for the Gunners and Mohammed Kudus’ release clause expiring has made me consider a different option. As Bayern Munich look set to sign Michael Olise and have further interest in signing Xavi Simons (another dream option for myself for Arsenal) there could be a surplus of wide players for Vincent Kompany.
With that in mind, perhaps Arsenal should pounce on the chance to sign one of Serge Gnabry or Leroy Sane. The pair are of an elite level these days and punished Arsenal in the Champions League last season and their added quality either/or would be great, especially in terms of adding the experience of trophies that they provide.
Sane got ten goals and thirteen assists for Bayern in what was a difficult campaign under Thomas Tuchel. His Bundesliga record sits at 40 goals and 42 assists in 170 appearances across his time at both Schalke as a youngster and then Bayern after his move from Manchester City.
It would be exciting to see what he could provide in this Arsenal team and of course, he already links up with Havertz at the national level. It could be a very interesting option for Arteta, who has worked with him previously, to consider.
Fancy free takeaway delivery, exclusive discounts, free music streaming and access to some of the best sports documentaries being made? These are just a few of the perks of Amazon Prime. Usually £8.99 a month, you can now get a 30-day free trial just in time for Amazon Prime Day, which brings the sites best deals of the year exclusively to Prime members.