Aymeric Laporte option considered as Man Utd rival Arsenal on transfer
Arsenal have been acting as quickly as anyone when it comes to preparing for the new Premier League season.
Mikel Arteta's side are back in the Champions League after last season's second-place finish, and that calls for new additions. In the Gunners' case, that means a £65m swoop for Kai Havertz with more deals to follow.
Arsenal will also be offloading some fringe players, with the likes of Pablo Mari and Ainsley Maitland-Niles already leaving North London, but plenty of fans will be keeping an eye out for new faces. Here are the latest transfer likes from around the Emirates Stadium.
Laporte battle begins
Arsenal are reportedly in the running for Aymeric Laporte as the Spain defender prepares for a Manchester City exit. The Gunners have already brought in a number of players from Mikel Arteta's former employers, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus both making an impact in their first season.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Laporte's name is 'in the orbit' of Arsenal, with Juventus also keeping tabs on the former Athletic Bilbao star. The centre-back has two years left on his City deal, but played less than 1,000 Premier League minutes last season.
Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal line up as last-gasp January transfers are secured
The 29-year-old was also firmly on the fringes as City completed their treble. He came off the bench for the final minutes of the FA Cup final, and was an unused substitute as City won the Champions League final in Istanbul.
United join Tchouameni race
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is keen for the club to rival Arsenal for Aurelien Tchouameni, according to Nacional (via The Sun). Suggestions of the Frenchman's availability had already put Arsenal on alert.
What do Arsenal need to do this summer? Have your say in the comments section
Aurelien Tchouameni's Real Madrid future has been questioned (Getty Images)Tchouameni joined Real Madrid from Monaco in 2022 for a fee which could rise to £85m. A similar amount is likely to be needed to tempt the Spanish giants to part ways with him, and United's resources are said to be a potential concern.
Los Blancos bolstered their midfield with the addition of Jude Bellingham, while senior stars Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are both staying for another year. Were Tchouameni to be sold, it could give Madrid the funds to pursue attacking reinforcements after the departure of Karim Benzema.
Partey exit questioned
Former Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs has raised questions over the club's plans to sell Thomas Partey. The Ghanaian midfielder, who joined in 2020, has attracted interest from a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia.
“I think it’s necessary [Arsenal signing Declan Rice], with Xhaka and potentially Partey leaving,” Gibbs told ESPN. "Which hurts, by the way. I can’t lie.
"Partey leaving, I didn’t think that was going to be a thing, but I keep seeing it more and more. It’s making me feel uncomfortable about my bet with Stevie (Nicol) that Arsenal will win the league if Gundogan leaves Man City. But I didn’t see Partey leaving. It has rocked me. I didn’t see it coming.”
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