Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday (July 22) in a pre-season friendly. Mikel Arteta’s side next face Barcelona at the SoFi Stadium on Tuesday (July 26).
Meanwhile, the Gunners are planning to move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe in 2024. Elsewhere, the north London side are interested in Ajax attacker Mohammed Kudus.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on July 24, 2023:
Arsenal contemplating Kylian Mbappe move
Arsenal are planning to move for Kylian Mbappe next summer, according to Football Transfers.
The French forward’s future at Paris Saint-Germain is up in the air. The 24-year-old is reluctant to sign an extension to his contract that expires in 12 months. The decision has prompted the Parisians to put the player up for sale.
Real Madrid are the favourites to lap up the Frenchman. However, the Gunners have now entered the race. The north London side are even willing to use Gabriel Martinelli to sweeten a deal for Mbappe.
However, the Premier League club are aware that any deal might only happen next year, either in January or next summer. Mbappe reportedly admires Mikel Arteta’s project at the Emirates.
Gunners eyeing Mohammed Kudus
Arsenal remain interested in Mohammed Kudus, according to club insider Charles Watts.
The Gunners have invested lavishly on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber this summer. However, Arteta remains linked with more reinforcements as he aims to catch up with Manchester City.
Kudus’ name has been doing the rounds at the Emirates for a while, following an impressive season with Ajax. Watts told TEAMtalk that the north London side admire the Ghanaian.
“He (Kudus) is definitely a player that they like. I’ve seen the recent reports that they’re potentially looking to step up that interest a bit later on in the window, which wouldn’t surprise me if that is the case,” said Watts.
Watts added that Kudus clicks a lot of boxes, which makes him an enticing target for Arteta.
“I still think they’re probably looking at adding at least one more player before the deadline, and Kudus ticks a lot of boxes in terms of what they would look to bring in. He can cover on that right-hand side of the attack, which is absolutely a priority for Arsenal,” said Watts.
He continued:
“He’s versatile, which is, again, an absolute must if you’re going to sign for Arsenal nowadays under Mikel Arteta. He’s in the exact age range that they want to look to bring players in. So he ticks all of those boxes.
"Arsenal have a decent working relationship with Ajax after what they did with Timber, which might help them in that regard. And it seems like Kudus is quite open to a move.”
Arteta has shown a preference for talented young players recently, and Kudus fits the bill.
Charles Watts debunks Kai Havertz salary reports
Charles Watts has rubbished reports claiming that Kai Havertz is on an exorbitant salary at the Emirates. The German forward left Chelsea to join Arsenal this summer.
It has recently surfaced that the 23-year-old earns £300,000 per week with the Gunners. However, speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts pointed out that the north London side have a controlled wage structure, which doesn’t allow such a salary.
“First of all, I don’t believe it, the Havertz stuff. I saw those reports come from Germany, but I don’t believe he’s on anything like the wages being mentioned.
"I don’t think he was in a position to demand those sorts of wages, and I think Arsenal have worked hard to get a control on their wage bill,” said Watts.
He continued:
“He’ll be on very high wages. But I don’t think it’s anything like we’ve seen. These numbers too, you have to take into account they take into account every single bonus they could hit.”
Kai Havertz is expected to help Arteta’s team hit a higher gear next season.
