Arsenal face relegated Southampton on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners have endured a frustrating end to the campaign, having seen their hopes of winning the league title evaporate before being knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage at the hands of French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Mikel Arteta has now guided his side to three successive second-placed finishes in the top flight, and pressure is growing on the Spaniard to deliver silverware.
In the meantime, it has emerged that the Arsenal boss has been working hard to attempt to persuade one of his transfer targets to join the club this summer.
According to CaughtOffside, Arteta has held direct talks with Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams in an attempt to lure the player to The Emirates.
Williams has attracted interest from both Arsenal and Chelsea (Photo: Sipa US/Alamy)
The report claims that the Gunners’ manager has pitched his project to the Spain international, who has also attracted interest from Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea.
Williams, 22, is a product of Athletic’s youth academy and has now played 166 times for the Basque side across all competitions, scoring 31 goals and providing 30 assists.
He also shone at the European Champions for Spain last summer, helping Luis de la Fuente’s side lift the trophy in Germany.
Williams is under contract at his current club until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, but the report claims that both the Gunners and the Blues could attempt to lure him to London this summer.
The Spaniard has a release clause of £50 million in his current deal, which could prove an attractive proposition for interested clubs.
At present, Arsenal are said to be in a commanding position in the race to sign the winger after Arteta’s proposal to the player.