Premier League leaders Arsenal are taking things one game at a time but that hasn't stopped plenty of speculation arriving over their summer transfer plans
Mikel Arteta taking Arsenal training
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have a huge few weeks ahead of them(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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The next two weeks are absolutely huge for Arsenal on the pitch but there has also been talk in the background about what will follow. It looks like being a busy transfer window regardless and a new midfield name has entered the conversation.
Mikel Arteta's team take on Burnley on Monday and Crystal Palace six days later before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30. By the end of the month they will know whether they will be celebrating a first trophy or trophies since 2020 or finishing the campaign empty-handed.
West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes is one of the recent names to be linked with the Gunners but there's also noise around one of his former Sporting CP team-mates. The links come against the backdrop of questions over which players might end up leaving north London as Mikel Arteta's side look to balance the books.
There's also the not-inconsiderable question of Arteta's own long-term future. That's another of the topics we'll discuss as we bring you the latest lines from around the Emirates Stadium.
Hjulmand move given green light
Arsenal could have the upper hand in the pursuit of Danish international Morten Hjulmand as the midfielder prepares to leave Sporting CP. Hjulmand is an Arsenal supporter and, according to reports in Portugal, could have left Lisbon in January only to agree to stick around until the summer.
The 26-year-old has stepped up for sporting since the big-money departures of Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte earlier in the decade. Like the former, he has been named in the Primeira Liga team of the season on multiple occasions while at Sporting.
Morten Hjulmand during Sporting CP vs Benfica
Morten Hjulmand has been tipped for a Premier League move(Image: Alexandre de Sousa/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
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Hjulmand's contract reportedly contains a £69million release clause, though he could be available for roughly half that sum. Arsenal will still need to fight off competition from Manchester United, who have been linked with the Dane as a potential replacement for Casemiro.
Arteta talks timeline
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will hold talks over a new deal for the manager after the end of the season, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Gunners boss signed his current deal in 2024 and it runs until the end of the 2026/27 season.
“Mikel Arteta remains in conversations with Arsenal over a new contract, but nothing will be done or completed now,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “It’s a topic for after the end of the season.
"Now the full focus is on the Premier League title and Champions League. After that, any moment could be good for Arsenal and Arteta to continue their conversations and try to close the agreement over a new deal.”
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