Arsenal are heading into a big summer transfer window at the end of the season with the focus currently on a striker to add some potency to the attack.
Understandably, such supreme talents come at a price and the Gunners will need to allocate a good chunk of their funds to the pursuit of a centre-forward. However, that is not the only area of the team that Mikel Arteta will be looking to strengthen.
The midfield is also an area of the pitch that Arsenal would like to see improve particularly as Jorginho and Thomas Partey are set to leave at the end of the campaign. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard form a strong foundation but a defensive as well as another creative midfielder would not go amiss.
With a lot of funds likely to be set aside for the attack, the Gunners will need to explore cheaper options which is where Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne crops up on the radar. The Belgian’s contract at the Etihad Stadium is due to expire at the end of the campaign and there is a feeling in Manchester that his time is coming to an end.
De Bruyne was an unused substitute in the clashes with Real Madrid and Newcastle United this past week and in his pre-Liverpool press conference, Pep Guardiola seemed to hint that De Bruyne could be moved on at the end of the campaign. “It’s just a decision from what I’ve seen, for many reasons, a few,” he told reporters.
“Never ever is it personal, never ever I’m upset. But maybe for the demands, the way we now need to play because of the absences or strengths that we have and physicality and many things, we need a game of more control and not up and down.
“Don’t ask me why. It’s not personal, I decide the decisions, that’s all, no more than that…”
(Image: PA)
If De Bruyne was to depart at the end of the season, there would be worse players that Arsenal could target. He still has an incredible eye for a pass and while his output is down this campaign, the Belgian has not had the same opportunities to impress on the pitch.
He also remains a keen admirer of Arteta having worked with him at City before the Spaniard moved to the Emirates Stadium. Speaking in October 2022, De Bruyne told Sky Sports: “I think obviously I see a lot of similarities with the way that we play, but that has always been his style so I think when he stopped playing and came here it was a good learning school.
“I saw an evolution from the beginning of Mikel to after the three years when he left. At the beginning, he was adapting but then he was getting more and more into his role.
“We also saw he had a lot of ambition and when an opportunity came he took that. It’s nice to see that he got the time from Arsenal. I’m happy for him that it’s going well.”
He has undoubtedly been a world class player for many years and if Arsenal can get the wages right, his arrival would be a no-brainer.
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