‘He will be a Gunner soon’: Arsenal set to sign another league winner this week after bid was agreed last week – not Kylian Mbappe
Arsenal have always appreciated Manchester City right-back Joao Cancelo at the Emirates Stadium, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar are working to build a Gunners side capable of balancing Premier League and Champions League football this season.
Arsenal transfer news – Joao Cancelo
According to German newspaper Kicker, Arsenal are still interested in signing Cancelo from Manchester City, despite the impending arrival of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, whose versatility stretches to playing on the right side of defence.
However, with Timber’s natural position being a right-sided centre-back, Edu could still look to identify a full-back to add more balance to the north London outfit’s starting XI.
Arteta has previously worked with Cancelo, once dubbed “world-class” by pundit Ahmed Elmohamady, during the duo’s time together at the Etihad Stadium, with the 29-year-old being available for potentially as little as £35m this summer.
The same report also claims that the Gunners are monitoring the situation of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Henrichs, another natural right-back who could provide genuine competition for Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested to GIVEMESPORT that the signing of Cancelo would be a better addition than Declan Rice, given the amount the £250,000 per-week earner has achieved during his time at Manchester City.
And Romano has claimed that Arsenal “have always monitored” Cancelo and Henrichs but hints that the club may avoid signing the duo given the arrival of Timber.
What has Romano said about Arsenal and Cancelo?
Romano told GIVEMESPORT: “Arsenal have always monitored them [Cancelo and Henrichs]. We always mentioned Cancelo as a player appreciated by Arsenal.
“But, at the moment, I think with Timber, their idea is to cover the right-back and centre-back positions. He’s a very versatile player that Mikel Arteta loves to have in the squad. So, this is the idea.”
What next for Arsenal?
With Rice and Timber set to join Kai Havertz through the door at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta and Edu must assess the squad as they look to make further reinforcements ahead of the Premier League’s kick-off in August.
According to Bild, Gunners target and Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby has set his sights on a move from Bayer Leverkusen to either a Premier League outfit or Paris Saint-Germain.
A move for the 23-year-old would provide significant competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, with Leandro Trossard and Reiss Nelson waiting in the wings to take their opportunity in the team.
The same outlet (via the Daily Record) has claimed that Arsenal have entered the race to sign Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong, who could provide another right-sided option in defence, as the Gunners look to go one better and claim their first Premier League crown since 2004.
Meanwhile, FootballTransfers reports that Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is interested in a move to Arsenal over Chelsea and Liverpool, with it being a three-horse race to sign the talented Saints teenager.
Therefore, a fascinating few weeks are ahead as Arsenal look to bolster their squad this summer.
And there’s no doubt that Arteta will be delighted at how the club kicked off their business in the transfer market ahead of what could be an exciting campaign.
