Premier League leaders Arsenal have decided on their four-man shortlist of midfielders ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Gunners are having a brilliant season in the Premier League with Mikel Arteta’s side currently top of the league despite losing 4-1 to Manchester City on Wednesday night.
That defeat to City means the second-placed Citizens are now two points behind Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s men have two games in hand.
Even if they do lose the race for the Premier League title, Arsenal have Champions League football in the bag for next season and that will help them attract better players in the summer.
Arteta and technical director Edu have got their signings spot on in recent windows with the Gunners making steady progress under the former Man City assistant manager.
There are still a number of areas in need of improvement in their squad with supporters hoping they sign a new midfielder in the next transfer window.
And The Athletic journalist David Ornstein (via the Daily Cannon) has revealed that West Ham’s Declan Rice, Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, and Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus are the midfielders on Edu’s four-man shortlist for the summer.
The journalist is expecting Arsenal to sign two of the four but doubts Rice and Caicedo will arrive together because of the cost involved.
Ornstein told Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five YouTube channel: “It perhaps illustrates that Mikel Arteta really wants a prominent signing in there to help this squad going forward. So I’m really intrigued to see in which direction they go. Many Arsenal fans asking me all the time.
“We know the interest in Declan Rice is strong. We knew the interest in Moises Caicedo was strong. I don’t know which way they’ll go, or if there are other options.
“I don’t think they would go for both given the costs involved. Let’s see, because those clubs have to be willing sellers.”
Arsenal will look to strengthen other areas of their squad too with Spanish publication Nacional claiming they are interested in a player dubbed the ‘new Mbappe’.
Lens striker Lois Openda has ‘appeared’ on their list of targets up front after contributing 17 goals and three assists in 36 Ligue 1 matches.
Arsenal ‘want him to be one of the first signings’ of the summer transfer window with the £31m-rated Belgian being compared to Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe ‘due to the power and speed that he has’.
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