25 July 2023 , 03:00
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Mikel Arteta has made use of his three summer signings in pre-season, but Arsenal's business isn't necessarily finished.
Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber have arrived in North London at a combined cost of more than £200m, and all three featured against Man Utd at the MetLife Stadium. It wasn't enough to prevent a weekend defeat, though, with Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho both finding the back of the Arsenal net.
With Champions League football on the horizon, Arteta may feel the need to further streamline his squad for the task ahead. Here are the latest lines from around the Emirates Stadium.
Gunners after Olise
Arsenal will go rival fellow London side Chelsea for Michael Olise, according to 90min. Manchester City are also in the mix for the 21-year-old, who is understood to have a release clause of between £35m and £45m at current club Crystal Palace based on a range of reports.
City have entered the race as they prepare to allow Riyad Mahrez to complete a move to Saudi Arabia. Chelsea, meanwhile, are looking for reinforcements after losing the likes of Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic this summer.
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Olise, who joined Palace from Reading in 2021, has made 71 appearances in two seasons with the Eagles. He is expected to miss the start of the season with an injury picked up on France under-21 duty, but that does not appear to have dimmed the interest.
Tierney happy in North London
Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has insisted he's happy at the club despite struggling for minutes last season. The left-back hasn't directly discussed his future with Mikel Arteta, but featured against Man Utd in the pre-season loss.
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Kieran Tierney has fierce competition for places at Arsenal (AP)"It's not really up to me (my future)," Tierney said, as reported by the Athletic. "I'm happy, I'm working hard every day and getting minutes. I'm just trying to do as well as I can.
"You can't play every single game, every single season, every single year. I don't expect that and I still made a lot of appearances last year. I was ready every game and working 100 per cent. I think everyone in there would agree with that, that I never give less than that whether I'm playing or not."
Chukwueze headed elsewhere
Samuel Chukwueze, a target for Arsenal earlier in the window, appears set for AC Milan. The Villarreal star is poised to become the Rossoneri's seventh summer signing, with Calciomercato (via Football Italia) reporting that documents have been exchanged between the clubs.
Arsenal have been exploring their options in the wide forward roles, with the aforementioned Olise interest evidence of this. Chukwueze had been among the names mentioned after scoring a career-best 13 goals last term, but the 24-year-old now looks to be Serie A-bound.
Milan have already turned to the Premier League this summer, signing Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea. They could draw Arsenal in the 2023-24 Champions League, with the pair in separate pots.