Arsenal have been given the green light to manager Mikel Arteta to sign midfielders Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo this usmmer, according to The Times.
The Gunners lost all hope of beating Manchester City to the Premier League title after they suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against Brighton on Sunday. Nevertheless, it has been a memorable campaign for the North Londoners, and finishing second in a competitive league is no mean feat.
Furthermore, Arsenal will have more money to spend in the summer due to their participation in the Champions League. As per Swiss Ramble, the north London club could receive an average of around £88m for playing in Europe’s premier competition.
The Times claims that the Spaniard will be given a hefty transfer kitty of over £200m, and he is keen to bolster his midfield. The Gunners have been linked heavily with both Rice and Caicedo and instead of signing one of them, the club will back Arteta to land both.
The duo could cost in the region of £170m, as per the report, and Arsenal may need to sell the likes of Granit Xhaka, Emile Smith Rowe, Rob Holding, Folarin Balogun and Nuno Tavares to bring in extra funds.
Makes perfect sense
The Gunners made an attempt to sign Caicedo during the January transfer window but their offer of around £70m was rejected by Brighton. He has gone on to sign a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2027, but there are suggestions that Brighton could accept an offer of over £80m.
Rice, on the other hand, would cost £90m-£100m but the Gunners should try to lower the asking price a bit, or come up with a package deal that suits all parties involved.
The problem for Arsenal is that there are other clubs who want both players which could create a bidding war situation, driving the prices up.
Rice has established himself as a top midfielder in the Premier League while Caicedo has also enjoyed a superb campaign to forge a reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the division.
If the Gunners manage to bring those two players to the Emirates, it’s more likely that Xhaka will be allowed to leave. Xhaka has enjoyed a terrific season for the Gunners, but Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claims Bayer Leverkusen are pushing to sign him.
