Arteta gets renewed hope of sealing £61m transfer with Arsenal 'secret weapon'

 weapon'Bolstering the frontline was seen as crucial earlier in the year with Mykhailo Mudryk identified as the main target. Chelsea hijacking that transfer resulted in Arsenal seeking out alternatives with Raphinha and Barcelona team-mate Ferran Torres two options looked into.

However, the Gunners could re-establish their interest in Raphinha with Barcelona already setting their asking price. According to a report in May from Spanish outlet SPORT, the Catalan giants are prepared to accept offers in the region of €80million (£68million).

It is also claimed the player is open to a departure as he is afraid of losing his first-team status next season, which would also damage his hopes of playing consistently on the international stage. A Premier League return could certainly be on the cards for Raphinha and joining Arsenal may be the most likely outcome as one player already in north London has known the 26-year-old for nearly a decade.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Raphinha posed for a photo on the pitch following Arsenal's pre-season clash in the USA against Barcelona. While on the face of things, it appears as just two international team-mates catching up, the duo came up together in Avai academy playing in the same youth setup from 2014 to 2016.

There is no guarantee Raphinha joins Arsenal this summer especially following a £200million spend from Edu and Arteta, but as long as Gabriel remains at the club and Raphinha a target of the Gunners, there will always be hope the latter makes a move to Arsenal.