Mikel Arteta is said to be dreaming of a specific left-winger transfer that would be one of the biggest signings of the summer transfer window. Arsenal do not have too many needs this summer, given they won the Premier League title and came within a few kicks of a first-ever Champions League title.
Arsenal have put together an incredibly strong squad, and last summer's focus on recruiting depth has set them up nicely for years to come. Naturally, players are always going to leave, especially those who are not playing regularly, and Arsenal will have to replace such players, but the decisions over where to upgrade are far less obvious.
The left-winger spot has been a concern for Arteta, though, and another striker may well be snapped up in anticipation of Gabriel Jesus departing.
Arteta's dream left-winger target
Kenan Yildiz
According to a fresh report from Sacha Tavolieri, Juventus superstar in the making Kenan Yildiz is a player Arteta dreams of signing. The 21-year-old winger has established himself as one of the most exciting young attacking talents in world football, and he was heavily linked with a Premier League or LaLiga move prior to signing a new contract with Juventus earlier this year.
That contract means a deal now would likely cost huge money, but the Gunners do have the capacity to pull off more significant spending this summer.
Tavolieri wrote on X: "Mikel Arteta considers Kenan Yildiz has a dream target! Nothing advanced yet with World Cup ongoing, but Arsenal wants to sign a key player at the left winger position and has a plan for the Turkish. Gunners would be ready to spend around €100M for Yildiz. Christos Tzolis considered as alternative option, as @David_Ornstein called."
Yildiz's rapid rise
Kenan YildizKemal Aslan via Reuters
Yildiz, described as a phenomenon by Guiseppe Rossi, scored 11 and assisted 10 times for Juventus in what was a difficult season for the Old Lady. Despite his youth, he has already become one of the club's most important players, and he is able to play across the front line, although his best position is on the left.
Speaking about the forward earlier this season, Juve boss Luciano Spalletti said: "Yildiz played as the striker and scored. He’s an alien, not a normal footballer. Every now and then he does something wrong just to see if he can fit into normality, but he can’t. He simply can’t become a normal footballer.”
It's that sort of talent that saw many of the world's biggest clubs circle Yildiz before that new contract was signed. The new deal means Juventus are likely to play hardball over any deal, with the Italian giants well aware that they have a superstar in the making. Yildiz is currently with Türkiye at the World Cup.
Mikel Arteta applauds after an Arsenal game alongside an image of an Arsenal teamsheet Related
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