ARSENAL have reportedly made signing Rennes ace Eduardo Camavinga their top priority this summer.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is planning a major overhaul of the squad that finished eighth in the Premier League last season.
Beefing up the midfield is understood to be one of the Spaniard’s main priorities.
And according to reports, the 39-year-old has placed Camavinga at the top of his summer wishlist.
The 18-year-old – who has drawn comparisons to Gunners legend Patrick Viera – has made waves at Rennes since making his debut in the 2018-19 season.
Camavinga already has a whopping 82 first-team appearances to his name and has impressed many with his displays for the Ligue 1 side.
Arteta is said to have been so impressed by the France international that he’s willing to sell FOUR players in order to finance a move for him.
That’s according to The Express, who reckon Bernd Leno, William Saliba, Matteo Guendouzi and Eddie Nketiah are all at risk of being punted.
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Arsenal’s pursuit of Camavinga would suggest they’re no longer interested in signing Lyon’s Houssem Aouar.
The north Londoners tabled two bids for the midfielder last summer but saw both offers rejected.
Arsenal were unable to meet the French club’s asking price for the creative midfielder, but Arteta hopes club owner Stan Kroenke will back him in the transfer market this summer.
He said: “The squad needs changing.
“There were already a lot of changes in December, something that has not been done in years, but it tells us where we were.
“Things are going to have to change and the owners are going to back it up.”
Kroenke appears to be willing to splash the cash this summer as the Gunners are closing in on a deal for Brighton and England defender Ben White.
The Emirates club are currently in talks over a £50million deal for the centre-back, who had previously been scouted by Manchester United and Chelsea.
Arsenal had a £40million bid for the 23-year-old rejected by The Seagulls earlier this month, although talks over a potential deal continued.
The Gunners will hope to have White on their books well before the Premier League season kicks off on August 13.
Arteta’s troops will begin their domestic campaign against newly-promoted Brentford before facing title contenders Chelsea and Manchester City.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
