Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma is keen on joining Arsenal, who are facing pressure to part ways with William Saliba, a loan target for Newcastle United.
A recent report from Football.London has offered an update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Yves Bissouma. The club is believed to be keen on securing the services of the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder, with the player himself ready to move to Emirates in the summer.
Arsenal are yet to make any contact with Brighton regarding Bissouma, but the midfielder has told his agent Michael N’Cho that he does prefer a move to north London.
It is welcome but perhaps a bit complexing news for Mikel Arteta, as his team is also strongly linked with a move for Ruben Neves. The Wolves midfielder is expected to leave Molineux in the summer, with the Gunners even initiating talks with the West Midlands outfit over a potential switch.
The potential arrival of Neves will certainly squash Bissouma’s hopes of joining Arsenal in the summer, as the club is suffering from financial turmoil and cannot afford to sign too many players.
Arteta has already been asked to pay €60 million to permanently secure the services of one of the top targets in Martin Odegaard. It forced the Spaniard to explore other options including Emiliano Buendia, but the Norwich City star has recently joined Aston Villa.
Arsenal, therefore, need to remain cautious with their market activity, especially when it comes to investing in someone like Bissouma, who is likely to cost a fortune following a couple of excellent seasons at Brighton.
Newcastle United interested in William Saliba
The Gunners, though, could potentially see player sales as one source of transfer revenue. And as per reports from Daily Mail, one of the players leaving Emirates in the summer could be William Saliba.
Expected to return from his loan spell from OGC Nice in the summer, the young centre-back has emerged as a transfer target for Newcastle United. It appears Steve Bruce is keen on securing the services of a new defender, after another mediocre campaign at the Tyneside.
Although the Magpies are only interested in signing Saliba on a loan deal, Arsenal, right now, have multiple reasons to offload him permanently. The Frenchman is yet to even make his debut for the club and was brought in by previous manager Unai Emery.
Saliba is currently waiting on Arteta’s decision on whether or not the youngster will be a part of the first team next season. The club, though, ideally use him, along with Joe Willock as means of transfer revenue, with NUFC desperate to sign the latter on a permanent deal following a successful six months on loan at the St. James’ Park.
These two are sure to bring in a significant amount of sum to the Arsenal coffers, potentially allowing them to pursue top targets like Zeki Celik, Raheem Sterling or even Bissouma’s Brighton teammate Tariq Lamptey.
Either way, this is going to be a long summer for Arsenal, and their market activity will go a long way in dictating how their future will shape under the leadership of Mikel Arteta next season.