After a remarkable 2022-23 campaign, Arsenal’s mission going into the summer is simple: find a way to close the gap to Manchester City. Heading into the transfer window, Mikel Arteta’s side have been focused on four player profiles in particular: two midfielders (one of whom will replace the outgoing Granit Xhaka), a versatile defender who can cover multiple positions and a forward who can do similar.
Their number one target has long been Declan Rice, who would be a club record signing, but their first signing is expected to be Chelsea’s Kai Havertz, for whom they have agreed a £65 million deal. Work is also underway to secure Jurrien Timber as Arteta looks to get as much of his new squad as possible signed and sealed in time for preseason. The spring months proved just how the standards are for any club that wants to compete with City but if Arsenal get this summer right they might just come closer than anyone else to reaching them. Here are the latest updates from our CBS Sports insiders and rumors from across the world:
Rice rivalry
June 28: The race appears over, and it appears that Arsenal have indeed won it. The Gunners are finalizing a deal with West Ham for Rice worth £105 million after City backed out of the running on Tuesday night. The two clubs are working to finalize the structure of the deal, and on Monday night, Arsenal raised the stakes dramatically with an offer worth a guaranteed £100 million with a further £5 million in add-ons. The offer was not immediately rejected by West Ham, as the first two were. The Hammers instead want the deal to be structured over the next two years. The England international’s move across London is nearly there.
June 27: Lurking in the background as Arsenal tried to hammer out a deal for Rice this month has been Manchester City, but on Monday night the Premier League champions stepped up their interest, making an £80 million offer with a further £10 million in add ons that was rejected by West Ham, just as the Gunners’ own offer had been last week. Sporting director Edu will return with a third bid but the situation has become a little more precarious for Arsenal, who will be acutely aware that City have a level of financial muscle that they do not. What the North London club do have in their favor, however, is the months and months of behind the scenes work that has gone into convincing Rice of his importance to the Arteta project. These are pivotal moments in the pursuit of Arsenal’s number one target.
Optimism building in Timber race
June 27: No such tension exists when it comes to Jurrien Timber, however. Interest from the likes of Bayern Munich melted away when it became apparent that the Ajax defender wanted Arsenal, who are hopeful of a breakthrough in negotiations over the coming days. An initial offer of £30 million was rejected by the Dutch giants but Arsenal remain locked in talks over Timber’s signature.
Twenty3
The 22 year old has displayed impressive passing range in the Eredivisie and has been deployed as both a right back and central defender by Ajax bosses. That versatility is valued by Arteta, who would look to utilise Timber in both positions, inverting from full back to midfield as Oleksandr Zinchenko does from left back and indeed stepping into advanced spots from center back in a fashion similar to how John Stones works for Manchester City.
Partey bids imminent
June 23: He may have been one of the stars of the first two-thirds of Arsenal’s season but, for the right price, Thomas Partey could depart this summer. Juventus are interested in his services but the most concrete interest is emerging from Saudi Arabia, where CBS Sports revealed on June 20 that three clubs — Al Ahli, Al Nassr and Al Khaleej — are targeting the Ghana international. The interest of the latter two is accelerating quickly and CBS Sports can reveal that Al Khaleej are readying a loan offer that would come with an obligation to buy.
More tempting for Arsenal, however, would be the proposal being put together by Al Nassr, one of four clubs owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). They are prepared to offer a €30 million transfer fee in addition to a €10 million net salary for Partey. Ultimately the swing factor will be the player himself, and so far the 30 year old has offered no indication as to whether he would be prepared to make the move to the kingdom.
Havertz on the move
June 22: Arsenal’s first signing likely won’t be Rice however with Kai Havertz’s arrival from Chelsea due to be finalised by the end of the week, a medical taking place while the German international is on vacation. He may have struggled for form since leaving Bayer Leverkusen three years ago but that has not stopped Chelsea from demanding a high price indeed to part ways, Arsenal committing to a deal worth £65 million for the 24 year old.
Havertz arrives with all sorts of questions over him, ones which we break down in detail here, not least whether he will be the man to replace Granit Xhaka in Arteta’s midfield trio. He would certainly offer the penalty box entries that that role demands but he could complicate Arsenal’s off-ball defensive structure.
