The two players Arsenal want to sign next after Zinchenko
FT Desk
- 22 Jul 2022 18:53 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal’s summer spending spree shows no signs of slowing down.
For the second summer in a row, the Gunners have been one of the most active teams in all of Europe.
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They have already signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, Fabio Vieira from Porto, Marquinhos from Sao Paulo and Matt Turner from England for a combined total of €99 million.
And the Gunners continued their spending spree after Oleksandr Zinchenko joined the club from Manchester City in a deal that will be worth an eventual €38m, making Arsenal the biggest spenders of the window.
The first is a central midfielder, with Youri Tielemans the top target.
Respected transfer journalist David Ornstein explained the situation regarding the pursuit for Tielemans.
"Tielemans has 12 months left on his Leicester contract and they would be open to selling if they get a suitable offer. Arsenal have a firm interest in him.
"The decision-makers at the club are all-in on him but it’s more complicated than that because when you speak to people around this situation they make it clear that there may need to be a departure first for Tielemans to come in, be that Granit Xhaka or someone else in that area of the field to free up the space and the finance."
The second player that Arsenal would ideally like to sign this summer is a central defender.
The preferred target had been Lisandro Martinez, but the Ajax star moved to Manchester United instead.
Arsenal are now looking at other targets. It remains to be seen whether a Tapsoba would become one of four top centre-backs at the club along with Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and the returning William Saliba, or if one of the latter duo will be sold to make way.
Either way, Arsenal are planning two more notable signings in addition to Zinchenko.
