Can we assume that Arsenal’s marquee signing at the end of this summer transfer window will be an attacking player? Following David Raya’s £27 million signing, Arsenal focused on signing Riccardo Calafiori.
Despite the challenges of convincing Bologna to sell Calafiori last weekend, the club reportedly managed to reach a deal with the Serie A side. Calafiori will join Arsenal for an initial fee of £33.7 million, with a further £4.2 million in add-ons. Following Calafiori, Mikel Merino is reportedly on his way to Arsenal as a midfielder to join Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the Arsenal engine room. Various sources suggest that the deal for the Real Sociedad star could be in the £25 million region.
There is also discussion of Wolves custodian Dan Bentley joining, but his deal is not expected to cost more than £1 million.
Looking at the deals for Raya, Calafiori, Merino, and Bentley, the figures involved do not exceed £100 million. Upon completion of the Merino and Bentley agreements, Mikel Arteta will likely have around £100 million available for new recruits, assuming he has a transfer budget of £200 million. Interestingly, if the widely speculated sale of players like Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale occurs, the remaining (around £100 million) transfer kitty could potentially increase.
With at least £100 million to spend on attacking recruits, he could sign the best forward available. He might sign Victor Gyokeres (£84 million), Nico Williams (about £47 million), or Pedro Neto (£50 million).
That said, even if he does not make a blockbuster signing, he may add two forwards: a backup striker and a winger. In the end, it will all depend on what Arteta wants.
