SETTABLOID

Kelleher has made no secret of his desire to play regularly after spending much of his career as Alisson Becker’s understudy.

The Irishman got a taste of regular football when Alisson was injured last season and was lauded for his impressive displays between the sticks. It has been speculated that Kelleher could leave to play as a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere, with Celtic among the clubs to have been credited with an interest in his services.

He recently played down his hopes of displacing Alisson next season despite the opportunity for a fresh start under Arne Slot, telling The Athletic: “It would be great if that happened at Liverpool, but I’m not silly. I know that Ali has been the best goalkeeper in the world for years.”

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that if Kelleher does leave Liverpool, it would give Ramsdale a chance to battle Alisson for a starting spot by moving to Anfield.

“If Kelleher leaves Liverpool, there’s an opportunity for him to go and be a No 1 with Alisson,” said Robinson. “Look at the amount of games Kelleher has played this year compared to Ramsdale.

“There’s an opportunity there to have more game time and prove himself. Aaron Ramsdale has got to go somewhere and he’s got to play. He’s been harshly treated at Arsenal. I think the way [Mikel] Arteta handled the situation was wrong.”

Ramsdale was Arsenal’s first-choice stopper for two seasons but was reduced to a bench role last time out, with David Raya earning Arteta’s trust after joining on loan from Brentford. The Spaniard is widely expected to make a permanent move to the Emirates Stadium this summer, potentially leaving Ramsdale out in the cold.

It remains to be seen if Ramsdale would be able to challenge for a starting spot at Liverpool, with Alisson likely to keep his place in the side next season. He has been one of the world’s best goalkeepers for several years and it would certainly be a tough task for Ramsdale to leapfrog the Brazilian in the pecking order.

Ramsdale leaving Arsenal this summer would not come as a huge surprise, given that he will need to play regularly to stand any chance of battling Jordan Pickford to become England’s first-choice goalkeeper. However, there are surely better options for him than Liverpool, who will almost certainly keep Alisson between the sticks next season.

The Gunners were not only beaten to the Premier League title by Manchester City, but they were also prematurely knocked out of numerous cup competitions throughout the season.

Mikel Arteta’s side dived out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich, they lost to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third round and West Ham swept them aside in the Carabao Cup round of 16. While Arsenal may have taken a step in the right direction, they ultimately ended the campaign empty-handed.

Gabriel Jesus led the Arsenal frontline at the start of the season before Kai Havertz took the reins following some unimpressive performances in midfield. Speaking to the Mail Online, Podolski said: “I watch Arsenal and Koln games.

“I like the mentality of Mikel Arteta. They’ve made a huge step forward, but at the moment they are playing with Kai Havertz up front. They brought in Declan Rice but if they really want to compete next year they need a number nine, a target striker who scores goals.”

Then, when asked who he’d like to see wearing his old number nine shirt, Podolski said: “Harry Kane was the one who wanted to change, but with his history of Tottenham, of course it is not possible to move to Ars

“That is why he moved to Bayern Munich. It was a good move for Bayern Munich and him. He was the only option on the market. Bayern paid a lot for him, but he’s scoring goals like he did before. It’s nice to see a player from the Premier League coming to the Bundesliga.

“You move to the Premier league these days because money is involved. The only club in Germany that can pay a good salary and a transfer fee is Bayern. For the rest, it’s not possible. Only Bayern can do something like that with Kane. There’s no chance for the rest.

“Kane is scoring goals but I see the story already when Bayern Munich are third in the Bundesliga and out of the Champions League. Maybe we have another good story like Tottenham – move to Bayern and don’t win anything!”

Fulham have made landing Emile Smith Rowe a summer priority and are ready to lodge an early bid for the Arsenal star.

Smith Rowe has fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates and Cottagers boss Marco Silva has spots in his squad that need filling. Arsenal are open to listening to offers for several players as they look to invest in their own playing group.

Smith Rowe, as well as the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah, are likely to court interest as they seek extra minutes. Fulham believe the playmaker can help aid their ambitions after securing successive mid-table finishes since promotion back to the top-flight, reports the Telegraph.

The 23-year-old Arsenal academy graduate only had three Premier League starts last term, making 10 more appearances from the bench. He also suffered knee and ankle injuries during the campaign, which hampered his progress.

Any possible sale would represent pure profit for Arsenal from a profit-and-sustainability point of view. Smith Rowe has two seasons left on his contract, which was signed in 2021, with Aston Villa among those previously keen on the former England international.

Mikel Arteta, who has been unable to find a regular place for the versatile midfielder, said at one point last season: “I love him as a player, he is a joy to watch.

How he moves, changes direction and how physical he was without the ball. He went into duels and won a lot of them and was thinking with that killer instinct to play forward and make things happen. When Emile is in that moment, it’s very difficult to stop him.”

Fulham’s desire to land Smith Rowe comes with Willian weighing up Bosman offers from Saudi Arabia, while Bobby De Cordova-Reid is also out of contract but has been given an offer to stay at Craven Cottage.

The west London outfit have continued to invest since their promotion. 12 months ago Fulham landed the likes of Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Timothy Castagne. Joao Palhinha was signed two years ago but was on Bayern Munich’s radar last summer and the Portuguese star is set to be the subject of interest once again.

Monaco star Youssouf Fofana has revealed he has held talks with the club’s hierarchy amid transfer links with Arsenal.

The Gunners have been linked with a move to sign Fofana in recent weeks, with the midfielder about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

As well as Arsenal, reports have speculated that Fofana is also a target for Manchester United as well as clubs across Europe including Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.

It was reported by French news outlet L’Equipe that Arsenal have already held initial talks over the possibility of signing Fofana this summer.

The midfielder is reportedly valued at £20 million this summer, and now Fofana has spoken about the rumours about his future.

Fofana has revealed that he has already held discussions with Monaco about his future as he enters the final year of his contract. The France international went on to hint that a transfer could happen after an “agreement” was reached.

“I have spoken about it with the hierarchy, it isn’t a secret,” Fofana told reporters in a press conference this week.

“We had exchanges and they agreed to accompany me in this new stage.

“If [a move] doesn’t happen, I still have a year left and I will be happy to stay.

“We were in agreement that we would accompany each other in this process in which everyone should be a winner, be it me or the club.”

Fofana is not the only midfielder to be linked with Arsenal this summer. Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi has also been credited as a potential target for the Gunners, while reports continue to swirl claiming that a new striker could be on the transfer agenda before the window closes.

Mikel Arteta currently has Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith Rowe as his midfield options, while Kai Havertz was also used in the middle of the park in his debut season at the Emirates Stadium.

Fabrizio Romano has spoken exclusively to CaughtOffside to address the recent transfer rumours about Arsenal’s interest in Victor Osimhen and other top strikers this summer.

Osimhen has been a world class performer for Napoli in recent years and it makes sense that there would inevitably be plenty of speculation about his future this summer, but it still seems a bit early to know for sure what’s going to happen with the Nigeria international.

Arsenal could do with a big signing up front this summer, so one imagines many fans would relish a big name like Osimhen coming in, but Romano has moved to ease the speculation for the time being.

The Italian journalist notes that there have been a lot of back and forth stories about Arsenal’s striker plans, with the name changing almost every day from Osimhen to Benjamin Sesko and others.

Osimhen transfer: Romano clarifies Arsenal and Chelsea links

Osimhen has also previously been linked with Chelsea, but Romano has also ruled out a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku, suggesting the former Lille man is not on the Blues’ radar.

“As I’ve previously reported, Chelsea are not working on a deal for Victor Osimhen this summer, and there will be no swap deal with Napoli involving Romelu Lukaku. We’re now seeing Arsenal linked with Osimhen again and this has understandably got a lot of fans talking,” Romano said.

“However, on Arsenal, every day we have a new striker close in the media – one day it’s Brian Brobbey, one day Benjamin Sesko, one day Alexander Isak, one day Osimhen, The truth is that they are still assessing options internally, so we have to let them work and then we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted as soon as something concrete happens.”

There are a lot of good attacking players out there at the moment, and in truth, it probably makes sense for Arsenal to prioritise cheaper alternatives to Osimhen, who seems likely to cost huge money as Napoli are never easy to negotiate with.

Jude Bellingham has admitted Kylian Mbappe would take Real Madrid “to another level” if he is to join the club this summer.

Mbappe’s move to Los Blancos is soon expected to be made official after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, leaving Arsenal and many other clubs disappointed.

The French forward has taken his time to weigh up his next move, though it appears it will be Real Madrid who he will be lining up for next campaign as Florentino Perez finally gets his man.

The Spanish giants were able to win their sixth Champions League in the last ten years on Saturday evening after beating Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, leading to conversations over how frightening their squad will be next year with Mbappe added to the equation.

Discussing the prospect of Mbappe being brought to Madrid, Bellingham told TNT Sports: “If that was to happen, it would be amazing. A player like him, it’s the only little thing that maybe we’re missing in terms of that clinical nine. If he was to come and give us that, we’d be in a really great place and he would take us to another level. He’s one of the best players in the world, clearly.”

Mikel Arteta was able to exchange a few words with Mbappe this week upon accepting his ‘Best Coach – Premier League award at the KAFD Globe Soccer Awards Europe’, shaking hands with the 25-year-old who was also in attendance on stage. The duo also exchanged a brief few words with the 2018 World Cup winner patting the Spaniard on the back as he walked away.

Jadon Sancho has proven exactly why Arsenal must broaden their search for a new winger in the summer transfer window.

The 24-year-old winger, who suffered defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, has been briefly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta looks to further bolster his squad after another trophy-less campaign.

The Gunners are now four years without a piece of major silverware. While Arsenal managed to take the Premier League title race down to the final day, they dived out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich.

The north Londoners also lost to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third round and West Ham swept them aside in the Carabao Cup round of 16. With Arteta eager to strengthen his team and Sancho facing an uncertain future at Manchester United, Arsenal have been urged to make a ‘dynamite’ signing.

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport last month, Emmanuel Petit said: “I was saying how impressed I was with Jadon Sancho in the Champions League on commentary – he looks like a new player, so fit, thin and explosive.

“He’s like dynamite on the pitch, so explosive on the ball, so hard to catch. He’s back to his best and Man United look so far away from them, so if Arsenal want him, why not?

“You can put the best player in the world at Man United at the moment and they’d look average in two months. This is easily the worst Man United side I’ve ever seen.

“So many average players and Casemiro looks so poor. It must be so hard to be a Man United fan when you see the history of the club. They must be thinking: ‘What is going on?’”

Despite suffering defeat to Real Madrid, Sancho has largely impressed since joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January. The England international featured 24 times for the German giants this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

Speaking on TNT Sports ahead of the Champions League final, Jose Mourinho insisted that Erik ten Hag must take some blame for how Sancho’s situation at Old Trafford. The former Chelsea manager said: “As a player we know his talent.

“For sure the kid made mistakes. But for sure also his manager was not able to get the best out of him. I think in this case for sure they [Manchester United] look at it and try to analyse what happened at Man United and what he found at Dortmund.”

With that being said, the Champions League final has proven exactly why Arsenal shouldn’t go for Sancho this summer. While Gabriel Martinelli struggled to impress on the left-wing at times this season, Leandro Trossard performed brilliantly when called upon, forcing himself into the starting lineup for next season.

For now, it remains to be seen whether or not the Gunners will pursue for a move for Sancho in the summer. But if they do, Arsenal must be ready to fork out a substantial fee for his signature, knowing the Red Devils won’t strengthen a Premier League rival without a price.

Arsenal and Manchester United are in the race to sign one of the best passers in Europe this summer transfer window, according to a recent report.

Mikel Arteta’s men came close to winning the Premier League title but ultimately fell just short, losing out to Manchester City.

Arteta will be desperate to go one better next term and it seems he’s already identified a midfielder to bolster his ranks.

That said, he could cost just £20m.

According to Goal, Arsenal target Youssouf Fofana, who is statistically one of the best passers in Europe, could be available for a discounted price tag of £20m this summer.

The 25-year-old’s contract at the Ligue 1 outfit expires next year, so it could be the final chance for Monaco to receive a sizable transfer fee.

United have also been put on red alert after his valuation emerged and could rival The Gunners for his signature.

Arsenal are keen to add Fofana to their midfield ranks, with Thomas Partey potentially departing.

Ahead of his EURO 2024 commitments with France, Fofana hinted at a Monaco exit when speaking to the press.

“I have spoken about it with the hierarchy, it isn’t a secret,” the 17-cap international said.

“We had exchanges and they agreed to accompany me in this new stage. If (a move) doesn’t happen, I still have a year left and I will be happy to stay.

“We were in agreement that we would accompany each other in this process in which everyone should be a winner, be it me or the club.”

Arsenal will look to sign a goalkeeper, a left-back and a new central midfielder this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen the squad’s depth.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke explained that Arsenal want to bring in replacements for Aaron Ramsdale, 26, Oleksandr Zinchenko, 27, and Thomas Partey, 30.

Ramsdale has been expected to leave the Emirates after falling out of favour, but Zinchenko may be a surprise name on the chopping block after moving in and out of the team under Arteta.

Partey, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his contract and the club have begun searching for possible replacements to play alongside Declan Rice.

Arsenal want three new signings as first-team stars tipped to quit

Ramsdale will look to move elsewhere this summer, just two years after arriving for £30million, after his position in the team was taken by the signing of David Raya.

The goalkeeper made just 11 appearances for Arsenal this season, with only six of those coming in the Premier League.

Zinchenko arrived from Man City in 2022 as Arteta looked to add winning experience to his squad, but injury issues and rotation meant he featured just 27 times in the league in the just-completed season.

An exit is now expected to be on the table if interested clubs come calling.

Partey finds himself in a similar position to his teammate, with injuries casting a cloud over his latest season at the club, and with just one year left on his deal, he is viewed as a sellable asset.

In other news, Tottenham could sign Ivan Toney in a £40million deal.