Arsenal have added Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers and Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao to their shortlist of left-winger targets as Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta are set to pick between four options.
Reports have claimed that the Gunners are set for a “big” summer as new sporting director Berta works to bring in several new players to bolster Arteta’s squad, though while their rivals confirm signings and push to complete more transfers in this early transfer window, Arsenal are yet to get going.
Their supposed done deal for Martin Zubimendi is now in doubt, with Real Madrid pushing to hijack their £51m move for the Real Sociedad midfielder, and with striker target Viktor Gyokeres now reportedly ‘very keen’ on a move to Manchester United and RB Leipzig wanting a massive £92m for Benjamin Sesko, they’re now considering a less high-profile striker this summer.
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A report has claimed that the Gunners have held ‘initial talks’ with Stuttgart ‘to gather information on Nick Woltemade’s availability’.
But the report states that the 23-year-old, who got 17 goals and two assists for Stuttgart last season, can also ‘count Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Everton among his suitors in England’, while there’s also said to be interest from Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Roma in the 6ft 5in striker.
Berta is also working on bringing in a new left winger to compete with Gabriel Martinelli, and a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claimed on Thursday that they’re ‘very close to signing’ top target Williams.
But now The Times claim that while ‘talks have been held with the representatives of Williams’, along with those of Leroy Sane, who will be available as a free agent, Berta has also added Rogers and Paixao to his shortlist.
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Rogers has been hugely impressive for Villa since his £15m move from Middlesbrough in January 2023 and has established himself as an England international while scoring eight goals and 11 assists in his first full Premier League season for Villa.
Arteta is thought to value his versatility and the fact he has Premier League experience, though he won’t come cheap, with Villa reportedly setting his asking price at a whopping £90m to ward of suitors.
Paixao – who’s also a target for newly-promoted Leeds – would likely be a far cheaper option, both in terms of transfer fee and wages, despite being named Dutch Footballer of the Year after his 16 goals and 13 assists in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord this term.
The report adds:
‘Arsenal’s recruitment will be a balancing act in terms of fees and ages. They have been considering how best to juggle their transfer kitty, and signing an expensive winger would be likely to limit funds that can be spent elsewhere in the team.
‘They have also been considering whether to sign younger players with longevity and potential sell-on, or whether to focus on bringing in experienced players to try to help them get over the line after they finished second again and reached the Champions League semi-final.’