Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is looking to buy two players this summer for £150m that will make a ‘dream team’ good enough to win the Premier League, according to reports.
The Gunners are having a decent season in the Premier League but Arteta’s side are likely to finish a third season in a row as runners-up.
Second-placed Arsenal are currently 12 points behind leaders Liverpool with only nine matches remaining and it would take a monumental collapse from the Reds – who have only lost once in the Premier League all season – to allow the Gunners back into the title race now.
Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta will be looking to sign a new centre-forward in the summer, while a top midfielder is another priority.
And now Spanish publication Fichajes insists that Arteta ‘wants to put together a dream team to win the Premier League next season’ with Arsenal ‘preparing’ to spend €180m (£150m) on two new players.
The Guners are ‘willing to make a significant investment in the transfer market and have put €180m (£150m) on the table to sign Alexander Isak and Martín Zubimendi’.
Fichajes adds:
‘The London club has set its sights on the Newcastle striker and the Real Sociedad midfielder, players who have also been in the spotlight at FC Barcelona. However, the English club’s financial strength allows them to move forward with determination, while the Catalans remain hampered by their financial limitations.
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‘Zubimendi is a priority in midfield for Arteta, who is looking for a midfielder with vision and distributing ability. The player’s release clause is €60 million, a figure Arsenal are willing to pay without the need for negotiations with Real Sociedad. His signing would strengthen the midfield axis alongside Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard.
‘On the other hand, Isak is the striker Arteta considers ideal for elevating the team’s attacking prowess. The Swede has shone at Newcastle, and his goalscoring prowess makes him an attractive option for the Gunners.
‘The English side are willing to shell out the €120 million the Magpies would demand, which would complicate any Barça attempt to sign him in the future.’
Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thinks it would be a “complete game-changer” if Arsenal managed to get a deal over the line for Isak.
Hasselbaink told Gambling Zone: “I think that Alexander Isak is the hottest striker on the planet right now. I’ve said that for a while, he is the one that is the best number nine, and I know he can play in the 10 as well or off the side, but through the middle, he’s deadly.
“For me, Isak is very good. If you look at the chances that he gets, how he converts them, how he finishes them, he scores in important matches. He scores against the Arsenal’s, the Liverpool’s. He doesn’t only score against the bottom 10 teams for instance.
“In big matches he is there. That tells me that he is the best striker that is around at the moment. His outside of the box play, making combinations, he understands it.
“How he finishes, he’s always in control – that is a trait of a striker that is hard to teach.
“He’s got the killer instinct, and he’s really calm when he gets opportunities. He buy’s himself an extra tenth of a second. That is massive. So, for me, he is top.”
When asked who the striker is that Arteta should break the bank over, Hasselbaink added: “First of all, I don’t know if they have to break the bank. Mikel Arteta will know it better than me. If they’re going for a striker and they want a proven striker, really there is only one: Isak.
“The problem is, will he leave Newcastle? Or will Newcastle let him go? Newcastle is a big, big club. Look, Arsenal is a massive, massive institution. Don’t get me wrong. One is bigger than the other…
“If they get Isak, wow, what a force they are. With all the problems that Manchester City have, and I don’t think that Liverpool is going to repeat what they’ve done this season next season, because they have got a lot to restructure in the summer.
“If Isak goes to Arsenal, it’s awesome for them. It’s a complete game-changer because of how good he is. If Arsenal can sign him, they’ll be big, big, big favourites for the Premier League title next year.”