JUST IN✅✅: Fabrizio Romano Confirms Arsenal’s Pursuit Of £80M Striker Is not Just A Rumor As He Reveals Arteta and The Player Have Had One-on-one Discussions

Journalist Dean Jones has commented on a rumour he’s heard that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has personally held transfer talks with an £80 million player.

Arsenal targeting new forward signing this summer, A new forward is one of four key areas of the squad which sporting director Edu is looking to reinforce this summer.

Arsenal apparently have plans to bring in a new keeper, midfielder and defender alongside a fresh attacking option – with a key big names tipped to potentially leave when the transfer window reopens on June 14.

Edu, commenting on the club’s transfer plans this week, says planning has been put in place for the summer since January. The Gunners, after spending north of £200 million last summer, are looking to back Arteta with fresh faces yet again.

“You can’t sign for the sake of signing,” he said in a recent interview with Brazilian newspaper Estadao (via Standard Sport).

“This has to be a process that takes weeks and weeks. On my table, I have reports with over 180 pages of a player. It is really detailed. Physical, technical, mental profile – if you have experience of Premier League, if you will be able to adapt. It has it all.

“We analyse our shortcomings, where we can improve, where we can invest and from there we go in search of this new name. What I am going to do now, we have been discussing since January. It is not my decision or Mikel. It’s from a whole group.”

Despite scoring 90-plus goals in the league last season, and standing out as the division’s most imperious attacking side behind champions Man City, Edu could look to bring in a new striker for Arsenal, and a new winger.

They’ve been linked with a few interesting options for the latter position, including Crystal Palace star Michael Olise, and even Man United star Marcus Rashford.

Arteta holds Arsenal talks with Rashford

Commenting on a rumour he’s heard, reporter Jones relays whispers that Arteta has held talks with Rashford over potentially joining Arsenal, and believes that the claim holds some validity – even if him joining is unlikely to happen.

“Marcus Rashford is Man United through and through, it would take a huge moment for him to leave that club,” Jones said.

“There are whsipers about a move to Arsenal, a respected Arsenal ITK account suggested there have been discussions between Rashford’s camp and Arteta. I haven’t been able to solidify that information, but it would be quite a thing to make up, and I don’t believe anybody would do that, it’s too big a rumour.

“Can Rashford actually join Arsenal? I think there is scope there to upgrade on the left, but is Rashford elite anymore and he’s on about £350k-a-week, he will be labelled up at £80m. Can I see Arsenal meeting all of that criteria? I think it’s unlikely, but I thought I’d put it on the radar today.”