SETTABLOID

Arsenal face a vital summer as they look to close the small gap to Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta’s side finished the 2023/24 season just two points off Pep Guardiola’s dominant Premier League champions. Only minor changes will be needed to ensure the Gunners give themselves an even better chance of lifting a first league title since 2004.

And attention will now fully turn to the transfer window which opens on June 14. With that being said, football.london have taken a look below at the latest transfer reports and speculation surrounding the Emirates Stadium…

Arsenal’s Raphinha ‘bid’

Arsenal are reportedly set to offer Barcelona €40million (around £35m) for former Leeds winger Raphinha. It is said that the Brazilian is surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp with Chelsea also interested according to claims via Football365.

The Telegraph claim that Fulham have made Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe a ‘priority’ signing this summer. It is said that the Cottagers are ready to bid early in the summer transfer window to secure a deal.

Hansi Flick is officially the new manager of FC Barcelona, replacing Xavi Hernandez, and he has already stated that he plans on looking to the Bundesliga during the summer transfer window to try to bring in new talents to the Catalans. He was briefly considered to be a Thomas Tuchel replacement at Bayern, but it became clear that the sextuple winner wanted to pursue a new challenge abroad after being given his marching orders by the DFB, ending his time as Germany manager just eight months before the start of this summer’s European Championships.

Per French outlet L’Equipe (via Sport Bild), Flick is interested in trying to bring French winger Kingsley Coman to Barcelona this summer. His current contract at Bayern runs through June 2027, but Barcelona is keen on trying to get him this summer, but nothing concrete has taken place yet in that regard. The player himself has only just returned to team training with the French national team at Clairefontaine for their EURO 2024 preparations. His involvement with the national team this summer was in jeopardy when he suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the Bundesliga season with Bayern, but everything has gone to plan with him being able to be fully fit on time for the start of the Euros.

Coma is currently valued at around €50 million, and his stock could, in theory, rise if he performs well for France at the EUROs, so it could be something for Vincent Kompany, Max Eberl, Christoph Freund and the rest of Bayern’s board to consider. They could reinvest funds from his sale into squad investment with inbound players this summer — players that Kompany sees as a good fit for the systems and tactics he would like to implement at the club.

Following the arrival of Hansi Flick, Barcelona appear to have hit momentary brakes in their pursuit of Guido Rodriguez. Not to mention, the club’s agreement with the midfielder expired on May 31.

But instead of trying to secure a new agreement with the Argentine, Barcelona have shifted their sights to other alternatives in the market, including Valencia starlet Javi Guerra.

Barcelona interested in Mikel Merino

However, Guerra and Rodriguez are not the only midfield options Barcelona are targeting at the moment.

According to Gianluigi Longari, the Catalans appear to rate Mikel Merino quite highly, with the Real Sociedad star emerging as one of the potential midfield targets for the club.

Formerly of Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United, Merino has established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in Spain, owing to his positioning skills and ability to orchestrate the play in the middle of the park.

At age 27, Merino has played football in England, Germany and Spain, racking up significant experience at the highest level. He has notably made almost 200 appearances in La Liga and 20 national caps to his name.

Can Barcelona afford Merino?

Merino’s experience, coupled with his technical and leadership abilities make him an appealing target for Barcelona.

Merino joined Real Sociedad for a fee of just €12 million in 2018. But his value has skyrocketed since and the midfielder is more than likely to cost more than €30 million.

There are a few factors which may aid Barcelona, however. Merino’s contract, for one, expires in 2025, meaning if Real Sociedad fail to sell him this summer, they may have to run the risk of seeing the player leave for free next year.

Real Sociedad, therefore, could face pressure to sell their midfielder in the coming summer. Barcelona, to that end, could emerge as a potential destination, although a lot may depend on how much spending La Liga offers to the Catalan outfit this summer.

Barcelona’s newly-appointed head coach Hansi Flick faces a busy summer ahead. The German will play a key role in not only creating the base for his new-look Barça squad but also properly assessing the current options at hand.

For a while, it was believed that Flick would not be fortunate enough to have Gavi – one of Barcelona’s most talented players – in action from the start of next season.

Big boost for Barcelona

However, according to MARCA, Barcelona fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Gavi’s recovery from his serious injury is progressing well.

The young midfielder is expected to be available for the beginning of the season, bolstering the Blaugrana squad.

However, there’s a note of caution alongside the positive news. While Gavi will be physically present, it’s understood he’ll need time to regain his peak performance level and recapture the form he displayed before the injury.

This period of readjustment is to be expected, given the severity of his injury and the natural recovery process.

One would expect that the club, medical staff, and Gavi himself are all taking a measured approach. Rushing him back to full throttle, after all, could risk further setbacks – something the club cannot afford.

Instead, the focus will be on a gradual return to form, ensuring Gavi is fully fit and ready to contribute meaningfully on the pitch.

Barcelona looking at alternatives

It is fair to conclude that Barcelona have truly missed Gavi’s services on the pitch. His absence has hit Barça harder than expected, which is why the club are not prioritising the addition of a new midfielder with a similar profile to Gavi.

As per reports earlier in the day, Barcelona are prioritising a move for Valencia starlet Javi Guerra, who shares a similar profile to Gavi.

Should Barcelona succeed in the pursuit, Guerra will likely serve as an alternative to Gavi, though he would mainly compete with other midfielders for the number six position.

In the meantime, though, Barcelona will look to ensure that the club’s economic problems are behind them so that Gavi can be registered for the season ahead.

Not more than a few weeks ago, Barcelona were poised to make Guido Rodriguez their first major signing of the summer ahead.

The Real Betis midfielder was supposed to join the club on a free transfer, with his current contract expiring at the end of June.

However, ever since the appointment of Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s deal to sign Rodriguez has stalled, even though the German had supposedly given Barça the green light to go after the Argentine.

Recent reports indicate that Barcelona’s agreed deal with Rodriguez had expired on May 31, meaning the club must now secure a new agreement with the player, who is open to talking to other clubs.

Barcelona shift their focus to Javi Guerra

In the midst of uncertainty surrounding Barcelona’s pursuit of Guido Rodriguez, a recent report from MARCA suggests that the club have shifted their focus to other alternatives.

Barcelona are particularly seeking a move for Javi Guerra. The Valencia youngster has emerged as a top target for the Catalans lately, as the club look to reinforce the ranks in the midfield department.

It appears Barça are ideally looking for a player who has a similar profile to Gavi. That is where Javi Guerra comes into the fray.

The Spaniard is a much more nimble footballer and will be able to offer more technicality in the middle of the park. Guido Rodriguez, in contrast, is more similar to Andreas Christensen – a sturdy and abrasive defensive midfielder.

Can Barça seal the deal?

Securing a deal for Javi Guerra, however, will be quite the challenge for Barcelona, who are once again stuck in an economic downturn.

The Catalans are awaiting a final call from La Liga to figure out their potential spending limit and FFP margins.

The report adds that Guerra is expected to cost somewhere around €20-25 million. Interestingly, Valencia are interested in a move for Barcelona’s attacking outcast Vitor Roque, though the two operations are not linked to each other.

If Barcelona can return to La Liga’s 1:1 rule for this summer’s transfer window, they would be able to make signings without financial restrictions. With that in mind, they appear to have made an preliminary move for Bruno Fernandes, compatriot of sporting director Deco.

According to A Bola, Barcelona have spoken to Fernandes representatives to find out whether a deal is possible this summer. Bayern Munich have also done likewise, with both clubs seemingly plotting a move for the Manchester United playmaker.

Fernandes is one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League, and although 2023-24 was a lull season for him, he’s expected to play a huge role for Portugal at this upcoming European Championship. This would give Barcelona the opportunity to scout him further, if they do decide that he is someone that they want.

There’s no doubting that Fernandes is a top player, but he’s not what Barcelona need this summer. Furthermore, he is 29, so the money that would be invested on him would be better served on a younger alternative.

The Internet has made access to football players easier than it’s ever been, for good and bad. The invention of social media now means anyone can pose a question to a player on their account — though they may or may not answer.

This is what happened recently with Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde. He has been linked with a move to Liverpool recently, and this speculation has resulted in fans asking him about a move to Merseyside this summer.

Interacting on social media (via The Kop Times), a Liverpool fan asked the 20-year-old to ‘come to Liverpool in summer’. And perhaps surprisingly, Balde responded.

He was left unimpressed by the idea of walking away from the Nou Camp. “And leaving Barcelona in summer? No man,” followed by a laughing emoji. Balde is a product of Barcelona’s youth academy, and broke into the first team in 2021/22 under then-coach Xavi.

It was in 2022/23 that Balde had his real breakthrough season, making 33 appearances in La Liga, and 44 in all competitions. He was then linked with a move to Man City last summer, but ultimately nothing came of it as he remained in Spain.

The 2023/24 season, however, saw Balde fight injury, and this limited his chances. He played just 18 times in La Liga, yet his impressive form means he’s still being linked with a host of teams around Europe. The player was linked with a move to Liverpool as far back as 2019 (via Sport Witness), but it never materialized.

An insight into the plans of incoming Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick to make use of the talents of youngster Gavi has this weekend been forthcoming online.