In recent days, Arsenal have made significant waves in the transfer market with a series of ambitious moves to strengthen their squad. Whilst none have been completed yet, significant progress is being made.
The Gunners are reportedly pursuing four high-profile players: Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice, and Romeo Lavia. If successful in their pursuits, the combined expenditure could reach a staggering £240million.
One of the most surprising moves is for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz. After impressing at Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz made a move to Chelsea, where his performances have been mixed. However, after having an initial bid knocked back last week, Arsenal have now tabled a second £60million bid, with personal terms thought to be agreed according to various sources including the Daily Mail.
Havertz’s versatility, technical prowess, and eye for goal make him a candidate to elevate Arsenal’s attacking prowess and provide quality options in three or four positions.
A new target that emerged as recently as last night via David Ornstein, is Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, who turns 22 last week. The Ajax man has displayed exceptional maturity and composure on the ball during his time at Ajax, predominantly playing as a central defender, but it is thought that Arsenal could view him as an alternative to Ben White at right-back, whilst also providing cover in central defence and midfield. This move has similarities to that of Arsenal’s pursuit of Lisandro Martinez last summer.
Arsenal have had a £30million bid for Timber rejected, with Ajax looking for a bid closer to the £50million mark. The Gunners are optimistic a deal can be reached and personal terms are thought to be in place already, according to David Ornstein.
A move for Timber would likely free up the likes of Cedric Soares and Rob Holding to leave the club.
Elsewhere, Arsenal’s ongoing pursuit of West Ham United’s Declan Rice demonstrates the clubs desire this window to build a squad ready to compete in the Premier League again but also in Europe.
Rice has evolved into one of the leagues best midfielders, showcasing exceptional composure, intelligence, and defensive acumen in midfield. Known for his excellent passing range and ability to break up opposition play, Rice’s presence would add solidity to Arsenal’s midfield engine room, whether he play as the deepest midfielder or slightly further forward.
With Granit Xhaka’s future uncertain and Thomas Partey now linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, Rice’s arrival would provide the Gunners with a long-term midfield solution to anchor a midfield rebuild around. Arsenal have had a bid of £75million + £15million in add ons rejected today, but a deal is expected to be reached according to David Ornstein, with personal terms pre-agreed for some time now.
Completing the quartet of potential signings is Southampton’s highly-rated teenager Romeo Lavia. Lavia, who is now at Southampton after coming through Manchester City’s academy has garnered attention for his impressive performances in a struggling Southampton side last season. His maturity, physicality, and technical abilities have caught the eye of several top clubs, including Arsenal.
Lavia is predominantly the most defensive midfielder in a team and has strengths such as tackling, long passing and dribbling. He could be viewed as a long-term successor to Thomas Partey, but he still has imperfections in his game to improve on. It’s easy to forget he is just 19 though, so there’s plenty of room to grow.
Numerous sources indicate personal terms are in place to sign Lavia, but Southampton are looking for a fee in excess of £40million to part with their midfield gem.
While securing all four players is a challenging task, Arsenal’s pursuit of such high-profile talents demonstrates their commitment to building a competitive team. If successful, the Gunners could bolster their attacking options, solidify their defense, enhance midfield stability, and continue their tradition of nurturing young talents.
Cedric, Rob Holding, Thomas Partey are all likely to leave if these moves come to fruition, but many others could depart too. There’s still uncertainty around Kieran Tierney, whilst the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Charlie Patino are expected to leave too. There’s some uncertainty as to how Havertz’s arrival would impact the futures of both Folarin Balogun and Eddie Nketiah. The Gunners could consider bids for one or both players in order to fund the moves mentioned in this article.