Arsenal have held talks with the agents of a midfielder who starred at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as sporting director Edu seemingly begins work on signing a new engine room man this summer.
Arteta keen on signing new midfielder at Arsenal
The north Londoners were seriously linked with a new midfield running man over the January window, and have been regularly tipped to sign one over the last few months.
Edu now "ready" to make Arsenal move for £8.5m-a-year striker
The Gunners are set to throw their hat in the ring for the Napoli man this summer, but face plenty of competition
ByBen Browning
Both Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are set to leave this summer as things stand, with their contracts set to expire in June. Thomas Partey's reoccurring injury problems have also been a real issue for Mikel Arteta over 2023/2024, perhaps highlighting the real need for another option.
Reports have suggested that Arteta signing a new midfielder later in 2024 is certainly possible, alongside full-backs and a striker (Sam Dean, The Telegraph). Partey's contract will have just 12 more months by the time summer comes around as well, so it's pretty inevitable that Arsenal will need to shore up that area of the squad soon.
Everton star Amadou Onana is among the names to have been linked with Arsenal recently, as well as Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, while Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz was a name very regularly mentioned in the build up to January.
All of these options, though, could prove expensive given their current value. Edu may well cast his net far and wide in search of the most quality, affordable option, with Juventus star Adrien Rabiot coming as an intriguing name.
The Frenchman, who's bagged four goals and three assists over 21 Serie A starts for Juve so far this season, is out of contract later this year and could join Arsenal on a Bosman deal.
Rabiot's contract situation has alerted Gunners chiefs, among a host of other European sides, as journalist Graeme Bailey explains for HITC.
Arsenal hold talks with Rabiot agents as Juventus work to keep him
According to his information, Arsenal have held talks with the agents of Rabiot recently as they gauge the prospect of him potentially making a move to England for free.
Juve, though, are not keen on losing one of their star regulars. Massimiliano Allegri's side are said to be working hard on stopping him from leaving as they attempt to tie him down with a new deal.
Monza 1-2 Juventus
9.08
Udinese 0-3 Juventus
8.62
Juventus 1-0 Lecce
8.21
Verona 2-2 Juventus
8.05
Fiorentina 1-0 Juventus
7.75
Rabiot, alongside his brilliant league form, also played a key role in France's run to the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
“Rabiot? I didn’t know him before this World Cup," said Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate during the tournament (Calciomercato via Juventus.com).
"I had never lived with him in the group. Talk to everyone. He is a key player in this competition. Adrien takes us a lot, in defence and attack.”
