Arsenal are now seemingly stepping up their plans in the summer transfer window after the North London club were quiet in the early weeks of the window.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal confirmed the signing of Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori in July with the Italian star set to be a key signing at the Emirates Stadium.
As for other targets this summer, HITC understands that Arsenal are keen on Mikel Merino with the Spanish midfielder turning down Real Sociedad’s contract offer as he wants a move to North London this summer.
Whilst the signing of Merino for Arsenal would be an exciting one, there is a second midfielder who they should consider and he wouldn’t cost the club a penny.
Arsenal should consider Adrien Rabiot deal
During the early to mid-2000s, Arsenal’s squad had a sprinkling of French talent in their squad under iconic manager Arsene Wenger.
Robert Pires, Patrick Viera and Emmanuel Petit are just some of the Frenchmen who certainly made a name for themselves for the Gunners.
For the current-day Arsenal, however, William Saliba is the only French player for the Gunners and the signing of Adrien Rabiot would certainly solve this issue.
Last month HITC had reported that Arsenal and Liverpool had held talks with Rabiot with the Frenchman departing Juventus and available on a free transfer.
Arsenal, Liverpool and United are amongst those who have been spoken to about a possible deal and these sides have acknowledged that Rabiot’s contract has now expired.
However, for what the Gunners are looking for this summer, the signing of Rabiot may well be a very smart one for the North London club.
Arsenal could pull off a very smart deal with Rabiot
Arsenal’s interest in Rabiot is seemingly longstanding with a report from the Independent, back in 2015, claiming that they were keen on the Frenchman.
When times got tough for Arsenal last season and the campaign before that, it seemed that their midfield would, at times, struggle to deal with the physicality with Declan Rice the only physical player.
However, Rabiot would combat this and provide another layer of physicality for the Gunners when things get tough. The Frenchman’s versatility has also been a big plus, particularly for the French national team.
Andrea Pirlo, who certainly knows how to spot a good midfielder when he sees one, had some high praise for Rabiot.
“He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically,” Pirlo told GOAL.
“He doesn’t even know the potential for improvement he can have, and we work on the mental side of things to make him understand that he is a champion. He is improving game after game.”
Whilst French manager Didier Deschamps claimed Rabiot had ‘reached new levels’ when speaking to The Independent. Signing Rabiot for Arsenal may not be the most glamorous signing but it would be a very sensible addition for the Gunners.
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