Arsenal are now hoping to complete a £50m+ deal to sign a new midfielder heading towards the summer transfer window.

It’s unclear what the priority position will be for Arsenal as they head towards the summer.

After securing the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final, Arsenal’s squad is clearly at a strong level heading into next season.

The Gunners now have a little more freedom in the market, knowing they don’t need to desperately bring in players to instantly improve the starting eleven.

This means they can target younger talent with room to grow rather than ready-made stars.

The Gunners will undoubtedly be one of the most attractive prospects in world football heading into the summer transfer window, so it could be an exciting period for the club.

Arsenal Plotting £50m Move

According to a report from Football Insider, Arsenal have opened talks to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Gunners are hoping to complete a deal for a fee in the region of £50m plus add-ons, although the Ligue 1 club are holding out for around £60m.

Bouaddi is keen on a move to the Premier League in the summer, and he caught the world’s attention after a phenomenal performance for Morocco in their opening game at the World Cup against Brazil.

The 18-year-old, described as a ridiculous talent, has certainly put himself in the shop window this summer. Arsenal are hoping to win what is set to be a competitive race for his signature.

Bouaddi The Ideal Midfield Signing for Arteta

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There’s an argument to suggest that Bouaddi could be the ideal midfield signing for Arsenal heading into the summer transfer window.

The Gunners don’t desperately need a player to come in and make an immediate impact, but instead someone who can be a key figure in their midfield for years to come.

Bouaddi is a player who would be comfortable coming straight into the Arsenal side and featuring in the Premier League next season, but he’s also far from reaching his full potential.

Playing sporadically and getting game time in the various cup competitions that Arsenal will play in will be hugely beneficial not only for the player but for the club too.

The summer transfer window is now open and new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola is likely to be a busy man when he returns from his holiday.

Making the move from Bournemouth, following the end of his contract at the Vitality Stadium, Iraola will be under pressure to deliver at Anfield after a season in which the Reds could only finish fifth in defending their Premier League title, leading to Arne Slot being sacked.

Liverpool have already said goodbye to three players, with Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah all leaving the club this summer and Iraola will want to get to work on new signings as quickly as possible.

Yan Diomande is the main transfer target this summer

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

The Reds will want to sign at least one wide forward, while there could be changes made in central midfield and at full-back too.

Yan Diomande is the man who has been most heavily linked with the club, with the Ivorian winger understood to be the Reds number one target this summer, although he will come at a high price, with RB Leipzig understood to be demanding at least €100million (£87million) to let him go. His performances at the World Cup may even see that price tag rise, with a man of the match award already under his belt from the Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador in their opening encounter.

Former Reds goalkeeper David James has suggested a different signing, however. James believes Liverpool should make a shock move to go to fierce rivals Manchester United to sign unwanted frontman Marcus Rashford.

Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona and there was an option to buy the England forward inserted into the deal for around £26million. However, Barca did not take up that option, although that does not mean they will not go back in for him later in this summer transfer window.

United want to sell and GIVEMESPORT understands that Rashford only want to return to the Camp Nou this summer, but the Red Devils hierarchy are not willing to budge on their price tag and whether they would have any interest in selling to a direct rival remains to be seen, as much as they are keen to offload him. If he were to make the move to Liverpool it would create a bit of history as the first transfer between the two rivals since 1964!

David James thinks Rashford would shine at Liverpool

James has backed Liverpool to get a deal done.

He said: “If I were Liverpool, I’d look to sign Marcus Rashford. I really would.

“Whether he plays on the left or the right isn’t the main issue. Get him in first, and then you give it time to work out his best position.

“I think he’s an outstanding footballer. His football intelligence is off the scale, and so is his ability.

“We saw at Barcelona that when you get Marcus Rashford in a happy place, he’s capable of playing incredible football. I can’t imagine Liverpool will actually sign him, but football rivalries shouldn’t stop clubs from pursuing the best players.

“Someone like Andoni Iraola is good enough to create an environment where Rashford could thrive.”

Manchester United remain hopeful of offloading Marcus Rashford this summer, but have already blocked two clubs from activating his £40 million release clause.

The 28-year-old spent last season on loan with Barcelona, where he helped the Catalan giants win the La Liga title. However, despite impressing in his time with Barca, the club opted not to activate their option to make the deal permanent.

As a result, Rashford, who is currently part of England’s squad at the 2026 World Cup, will be heading back to Old Trafford when the tournament ends.

Manchester United’s Feelings on Marcus Rashford’s Future

Per reports, the player himself is willing to stay and fight for his place at the Theatre of Dreams, with the outlet claiming that he would rather see out the remaining two years of his contract than join another Premier League club.

However, United would seemingly rather move on from Rashford, who is currently believed to be earning more than £325,000 per week, in order to give new permanent boss Michael Carrick the chance to add to his squad ahead of the new season.

With the club back in Champions League action again next term, Carrick is aware of the need to add to his ranks to cope with the increased number of games his team will play.

The Red Devils have already been linked with West Ham duo Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville following the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League.

A deal for Summerville is thought to be dependent on United’s ability to sell fellow forward Rashford.

The Two Clubs Who Are Banned From Signing Rashford

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As keen as the Old Trafford club are to boost their coffers by cashing in on Rashford, though, there are two clubs that won’t be able to sign him, even if they wanted to.

A report from the Athletic has confirmed that there are two clubs who are specifically excluded from activating the buyout clause in the players’ contract, Liverpool and Manchester City.

United included the stipulation in Rashford’s deal in order to avoid potentially bolstering either of their two biggest rivals, with all three expected to be competing with each other on multiple fronts next season.

Rashford should still attract plenty of interest from other clubs, having played 49 times for Barcelona last term, scoring 14 times, while bagging 14 assists. United may have to lower their asking price for the player, though.

Barcelona were reportedly interested in retaining his services, but didn’t want to part with the £26 milllion it would have cost to make the deal permanent. Now less than 18 months away from his 30th birthday, it seems unlikely that United will find a club willing to activate his contractual release clause in full.