Fabrizio Romano has delivered a fresh verdict on Arsenal’s summer plans, and it settles a question supporters have been asking all week.
The Premier League champions have had one of the busiest weeks of their window. Leandro Trossard’s move to Besiktas has been confirmed, Christos Tzolis is closing on a switch from Club Brugge, and Mikel Arteta’s recruitment team have made no secret of their intention to add a top-class wide player before the window shuts.
That search has produced two names above all others, and with rival clubs circling the same market, the order of Arsenal’s list matters enormously. One of those names is being chased hard by Liverpool, who have kept him at the very top of their own shortlist for more than a year.
So where do Arsenal actually stand? The transfer insider has now spelled it out in his latest market briefing.
Fabrizio Romano names Arsenal’s number one target
According to Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel this week, Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola is firmly on Arsenal’s radar — but he sits behind Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers in the pecking order.
“He is also one of the names Arsenal have under consideration, although Morgan Rogers remains Arsenal’s number one target,” Romano said of Barcola.
On the Frenchman’s situation in Paris, Romano added: “Ten days ago, everybody was saying Barcola was untouchable and going nowhere. Now I see links with Liverpool and Arsenal everywhere, so maybe Barcola isn’t that untouchable after all.” He noted that Barcola “can leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer” and “is not untouchable because he isn’t negotiating a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.”
Crucially, Romano also stressed that Liverpool have had Barcola as “a top target since last summer” — meaning Arsenal would face serious competition if they ever moved him up the list.
Should Arsenal stick with Morgan Rogers as priority?
On the evidence of last season, yes. Rogers is Premier League proven, homegrown-adjacent in profile, and fits the left-sided creative role Arteta wants filled, while progress on the player side of the Rogers deal has already been reported. The complication is price: Villa have shown with Youri Tielemans’ departure to Manchester United that they will do business, but they hold a strong negotiating position on their prized attacker.
Barcola is the more explosive wide threat, yet a deal would mean a bidding contest with Liverpool and a nine-figure conversation with PSG. Rogers first, Barcola as the live alternative, is a sensible hierarchy — and for once, Romano’s reporting suggests Arsenal’s thinking is exactly that clear. The verdict: trust the list, but move quickly, because the Rogers window will not stay open all summer.