Ahead of the summer, it seems as if both Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will have some lofty targets in the transfer market.
Arsenal laid dormant in January, with Arteta pedalling the club’s preference for doing their well-planned business in the off-season.
And in a few months time, the Arsenal squad should reap the rewards of that patience, welcoming several high quality additions.
A prolific striker is thought to be on the list – a player who would help for today’s visit to West Ham United.
However, a midfielder and another centre-back are said to be targets for Arteta at Arsenal this summer too.
And with a defender in mind, journalist Florian Plettenberg has now provided an update on unsettled player Arsenal have been linked with.
William Saliba is an excellent player with huge potential, his place is never going to be in doubt.
But as we saw last season, he doesn’t have a suitable deputy in the squad, and it seems Matthijs De Ligt could be the man for the role.
Arsenal target Matthijs De Ligt is unhappy and could be available for Mikel Arteta this summer
Bayern Munich’s De Ligt would be an ambitious target for Arsenal this summer, a player who joined the German side for £66m.
But with the trajectory the club are heading in, there’s no reason to think Edu Gaspar couldn’t execute a deal.
And sharing his update on X after Bayern’s damaging loss to Bayer Leverkusen yesterday, Plettenberg suggested it’s a situation to keep a close eye on.
The journalist said: “Many were surprised when we exclusively reported that Matthijs de Ligt is a candidate for a transfer in the summer.
“Today, the reason has been confirmed again. When everyone is fit, he is not a regular starter under Tuchel.
“Despite his good performances recently he sat on the bench for 90 minutes today in Leverkusen.
“De Ligt, not 100 % happy with his situation. And Tuchel is still keen on Araujo. De Ligt’s contract valid until 2027.”
Of course, it remains to be seen if Arteta could tempt De Ligt to Arsenal this summer on the basis of game time in North London too.
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba seem a very settled partnership, and perhaps De Ligt would just be playing back up at the club as well.
Arteta is very keen for competition for places, but De Ligt might want to be guaranteed a star role once again.
That being said, Arteta has now hailed one of the squad’s current defenders as vital for the title run-in.
