Edu and his team are working diligently towards improving Mikel Arteta’s squad, but plan to sell players before welcoming new arrivals.
This summer is all about fine-tuning for the Gunners, who plan to upgrade players on the periphery of things with high-calibre replacements.
Of course, in reality that will be hard to achieve, and could lead to Arsenal being involved in a last minute scramble when things haven’t gone their way in attracting interest for the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah.
That being said, with Arsenal making an exception to the rule to sign Riccardo Calafiori, the club will likely try and move on either Jakub Kiwior or Oleksandr Zinchenko afterwards.
Calafiori’s skill-set effectively replaces the need for both, especially considering Jurrien Timber will be back fit.
And although Arsenal may not struggle to attract interest for Kiwior from the Serie A, an opportunity may have now presented itself to use the defender in a move for Mikel Merino.
Jakub Kiwior could be key to landing Mikel Merino deal for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta loves Merino’s skill-set, a player who could finally replace Granit Xhaka at Arsenal.
Although, the problem for Arsenal could be that Barcelona are also very keen on the ‘world-class’ midfielder, who shone at the Euros.
Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates victory with Luis de la Fuente, Head Coach of Spain, after the UEFA EURO 2024 Semi-Final match between Spain and F...
Spanish outlet Sport are now reporting that Barca are preparing a cash plus player bid for Merino.
According to the report, Real Sociedad are searching for a new centre-back after selling Merino’s Spain teammate Robin Le Normand to Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona are perhaps planning to offer Clement Lenglet in a deal – who spent last season on loan at Aston Villa.
And this is where Arsenal could play their trump card.
As mentioned, if Calafiori signs Arsenal won’t necessarily need Kiwior for their back line, meaning they could offer the Polish international in a deal for Merino.
And with the Spanish midfielder available for a reasonable price owing to having just one-year left on his contract, perhaps Kiwior alone would suffice.
Similarly, joining Sociedad and playing in La Liga could be a very appealing option for Kiwior.
TBR Football recently shared that Kiwior was open to leaving Arsenal for Italy this summer, and therefore he may also consider a move to Spain.
An interesting turn of events for Arsenal, who could sign one of their key targets with minimal effect on their PSR calculations.
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