ARSENAL have reportedly reignited their interest in Inter Milan talisman Lautaro Martinez.
Milan are said to be strapped for cash and the Argentinian could be one of the players sacrificed to raise money.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is in search for a versatile left-sided defender with Bologna’s Aaron Hickey is top of the transfer list according to reports.
And legendary Gunners manager Arsene Wenger believes that Unai Emery was treated “unfairly” during his tenure in North London.
Keep up to date with all of the latest updates from the Emirates in our live blog…
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Whole Lauta love for Martinez
Arsenal have reportedly reignited their interest in Lautaro Martinez.
The Times claims Mikel Arteta is targeting the Inter Milan striker in an ambitious summer swoop.
The Arsenal boss is confident he can persuade the Argentina international to sign, should the Gunners secure Champions League football next term.
Arteta is also hoping to land Man City’s Gabriel Jesus to create a fearsome new strike partnership.
Too good to be Tchou
Premier League clubs have been given a boost in the hunt for Aurelien Tchouameni.
That’s because the Monaco star reportedly wants a move to England’s top flight this summer.
Di Marzio claims Tchouameni is ready to snub interest from Spain for a Prem switch.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd are among those keen on the £60million-rated France midfielder.
Miedema gets Emirates statue erected
Arsenal legend Vivianne Miedema has had a statue erected outside The Emirates Stadium.
The monument depicts Miedema in all red holding a football, on top of a green podium with her name emblazoned across it.
The statue was unveiled before the first North London women’s Derby to be played at The Emirates on Wednesday evening.
Paulo Dybala transfer boost
Arsenal have been given a huge boost in their pursuit of Paulo Dybala.
Reports had claimed that the Juventus striker was on the verge of joining Inter Milan.
But the player’s agent has come out to deny the claims suggesting his client had made a decision over his future.
Dybala’s agent, Romeo Agresti, told Football Italia: “The player is exclusively focused on the end of the season, the league and the Coppa Italia final.
“No agreement has been reached with any team in Italy or abroad at this time.”
Xhaka backs Odegaard as captain
Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has backed successor Martin Odegaard to retain the role.
Xhaka told TV2, via The Athletic: “He is the future of this club. He’s already captain when Alexandre Lacazette does not play. He can be very proud of himself.
“You can see how far he has come in his head, mentally. He is very young, only 23, but in how he behaves and is on the field, he looks like he’s 30. It looks like he has already played 500 or 600 games.
“He can definitely become Arsenal captain. He has the DNA in him. He works as hard every day as if he were in a fight. He does a lot of extra work. He is humble. Everyone in the dressing room listens to him. Why not?
“He is very humble, he is quiet as a person, he is not someone who talks a lot, and he does not talk very loudly. But when he says something, the message comes very clearly to us players. That’s the key. It makes him very special.”
Fab news for Arsenal
Arsenal have received a huge boost in their pursuit of Napoli ace Fabian Ruiz.
The Serie A side are open to offloading Ruiz this summer, according to Il Mattino.
But Napoli will only listen to offers of £50m minimum for the midfielder.
Ex-Arsenal Women boss praised
Katie McCabe saluted former Arsenal Women boss Joe Montemurro for believing in her as a rookie.
The Gunners ace, who moved from Shelbourne in 2015, said: “I was coming into a team of legends.
“Kelly Smith was playing. We had Casey Stoney, Fara Williams and Alex Scott, so it was going to be tough to get games.
“An opportunity came for me to go on loan, and I jumped at it. Leaving the way I did, I thought after that I’d have to move on.
“But when I came back in late 2017, our former manager Pedro Losa had left, and Joe had come in.
“Joe really liked me, the club offered me a contract extension and the rest is history.
“I’m very grateful I got that chance from Joe at the time. I learned so much and I owe him for believing in me.”
Ramsdale reveals Arteta’s instruction
Aaron Ramsdale has revealed how Mikel Arteta tasked him with “shaking up” the Arsenal changing room when he arrived from Sheffield United.
Ramsdale told That Peter Crouch Podcast: “The phonecalls [from Arteta] after the ball got rolling once the bid had been accepted were instrumental for me.
“It’s not only the phonecalls I had. As soon as I got there he told me to be myself and try and shake the changing room up and be confident.”
Dybala’s future plans revealed
Paulo Dybala is reportedly on the verge of joining Inter Milan on a free transfer.
According to Italian outlet La Gazzetta delo Sport, Dybala has chosen Inter Milan as his next club.
He will earn a staggering £5million per-year at LEAST.
He has been at the centre of a four-way Premier League transfer battle with Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Vieira and Wenger still speak
Patrick Vieira has revealed that he’s still in regular contact with ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who’s always on hand to give him managerial tips.
The Crystal Palace boss said: “I do speak to Arsene Wenger regularly. He’s following what I’m doing here at Palace, we talk about football, tactics, how I prepare each week.
“He’s always giving really good advice and feedback because he’s been watching all of our games.”
Wenger backs Man City
Arsene Wenger has backed “vulnerable” Manchester City to overcome Real Madrid – even though they will miss Kyle Walker.
The ex-Arsenal boss said, when asked for his prediction, told beIN Sports: “City. They are the better team.
“The only thing with City, they can be vulnerable when Walker doesn’t play in that defence.
“When they have [Joao] Cancelo and Walker they can deal well with the passes in behind the defenders. When Walker is not there, they are a bit more vulnerable.”
Ramsdale taunts Arsenal team-mates
Aaron Ramsdale has taunted Arsenal team-mates Martin Odegaard and Cedric Soares for being ‘parched.’
Ramsdale quipped: “Martin Odegaard is parched. To be fair he was playing for Real Madrid when he was 12.
“Maybe one of the two of the lads who’s English isn’t perfect [he’ll speak to in foreign languages]. But Martin’s English is perfect and he’s speaking Spanish.
“How parched. And I’ll tell you who is another parched. Cedric Soares, he thinks he’s a future Pep. Brilliant.”
Ramsdale defends Fernandes taunt
Aaron Ramsdale has defended taunting Bruno Fernandes after the Man United star missed a penalty against the Gunners.
Ramsdale said on Peter Crouch’s podcast: “It was good sh**housery, but I think it got blown out of proportion because there was five or six Arsenal players in front of me so I celebrated with them.
‘It looked like it, I probably had that a bit in my head then stopped halfway, but it’s just emotion.
‘Nothing to do with him or to do with the football club or anything like that. It was just pure emotion.”
Arsenal receive Lautoro Martinez blow
Lautoro Martinez has ruled out a move away from inter Milan this summer amid Arsenal interest.
Martinez’s agent Alejandro Camano told Radio Cologne, via HITC: “Sometimes the press talks about his possible transfer but he only thinks of Inter.
“We’re not looking for a negotiation to take him elsewhere. He’s happy at Inter, the city is wonderful. He’s only focusing on Inter.
Lautaro is growing as a footballer. Let’s not forget that he is still 24 years old. He is already establishing himself as one of the best strikers on the international scene.
“A new generation of forwards is appearing, of which Lautaro is a part.”
Van Dijk reveals Henry snub
Virgil Van Dijk revealed he was ghosted by Thierry Henry after failing to hear back from the Arsenal legend.
The Liverpool star, 30, gave an interview to US broadcaster CBS after the Reds qualified for the Champions League final and he had a wry smile on his face when he learned Henry was in the studio.
The Dutchman then told CBS Sports: “I text him but he didn’t text me back. You tell him now, TT the legend.”
Presenter Kate Abdo asked Henry why failed to respond to the centre-back, and he replied: “I actually don’t have his number anymore.
“So text me, I’ll go through someone else to get his number. I changed my number and when I put all the numbers on my new phone his was not there anymore.”
Arteta on Gabriel’s development
Mikel Arteta is happy with the progress defender Gabriel is having at the club.
He said: “I think he has grown so much, especially as a character. His English is better.
“The way he’s presenting himself, the respect he earned.
“Those performances have been really consistent throughout the season, defending & now scoring important goals for us.”
Arsenal transfer support plans
Josh Kroenke has revealed how Mikel Arteta’s transfer plans will be supported this summer.
He continued: “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. We have plans in place to continue to strengthen the squad.
“Now having match day revenue back, and having fans in the stadium has been great.
“We continue to provide whatever support we can for Mikel and continue to push the squad forward to achieve our goals.”
Work of Art
Mikel Arteta has impressed Arsenal director Josh Kroenke with the soild foundation he’s built at Arsenal with the club’s youngsters.
Kroenke added: “The solid foundation that Mikel has laid has really shown for the last three matches in particular when our backs were against the wall.
“I want to thank you guys for sticking with us through all the ups and downs.
“The support home and away has been unbelievable. I hoped to see the fanbase uniting behind Mikel and a young bunch.
“I can feel and hear a whole new level of connection that’s going on around the club.
“It makes a real difference, especially for the young players, and we all want the same thing which is to be back at the top competing for the biggest trophies.”
Arsenal director shares delight
Arsenal director Josh Kroenke is delighted with the progress Arsenal have made this season and tips the Gunners for Champions League qualification.
Speaking at a recent fan’s forum, via Arseblog, Kroenke said: ““It’s been a rollercoaster of a season. I say that with a smile on my face.
“To think back to where we were after three matches, Mikel and the team have done an amazing job stabilising the ship.
“We always knew we had a very talented young bunch that would take a little time to gel and come together.
“We’re really optimistic we can achieve the top four and Champions League qualification, which would be a great accomplishment with this young team.”
No love for Spurs
Tottenham fans will receive no applause from Aaron Ramsdale when they play Arsenal.
Ramsdale makes a point to clap for the away fans when playing at The Emirates.
But he’s revealed that Spurs supporters won’t get the same treatment.
Ramsdale said, via the Boot Room: “I made a point to clap the fans, apart from Tottenham this season, because that wouldn’t go down too well.
“But, every game I play the away end, I make an effort to clap.”
Tchou of luck
Arsenal’s transfer pursuit of Aurelien Tchouaméni has been given a huge boost as he’s reportedly interested in a move to the Premier League.
That’s the view of transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio who told wettfreunde: “A lot of clubs in the Premier League are following him (Aurelien Tchouaméni) also. Arsenal, Manchester United to name a few.”
“He prefers to play in the Premier League.
“Nowadays the players want to play in the Premier League. He stayed another year in Monaco because he was waiting for the possibility of going to the Premier League.
“I think this could be the summer for him to go.”
In the Hick of time
Arsenal are allegedly plotting a transfer swoop for Bologna starlet Aaron Hickey.
The 19-year-old left-back has been in stunning form for the Serie A side since his arrival in 2020.
Now the Scottish international appears to be on the transfer wishlist of Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Football.london states that Arsenal are considering Hickey as a summer transfer target after he impressed scouts with his displays.
Arteta wants to add a versatile left-sided defender to his backline before the start of next season.
Hickey operates mainly for Bologna at left full-back and has attracted interest from the likes of Newcastle, Manchester United and Napoli in the past.
Wenger slams Arsenal’s Emery treatment
Arsene Wenger has slammed Arsenal for not giving former boss Unai Emery enough time at the club to turn things around.
Wenger told BEIN sport, via The Mirror: “They didn’t give him enough time, but there is a lot to talk about. For example, is it right that a team who is not successful in the group stages can play in the Europa League.
“For the last 10 years, the teams who are not successful in the Champions League go on to win the UEFA Cup. So, he has transformed a non-successful team into a successful one with Sevilla.
“It was more to give an importance to the trophy than to the sporting integrity. I think Unai Emery is a great coach, he has shown it in Spain and he is constantly at the top level.”
Top four battle view
Jamie O’Hara reckons Arsenal and Tottenham will slip up in the battle for the last top-four spot.
But the Spurs fan believes his club will trump Arsenal for the coveted position in the end.
O’Hara told talkSPORT: “We’ll slip up and Arsenal will slip up. We’ve got the north London derby which will be the biggest north London derby in recent times and that is a huge, huge fixture.
“I just fancy us, under the lights with the players that we’ve got and the front three that we’ve got. If we step up I think we can turn them over, I really do.”
Good morning Arsenal fans
Arsenal have reignited their interest in Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Gunners were linked with a move to bring Lautaro to the Emirates last year and were prepared to offer him a £275,000-a-week contract.
According to The Times, the North Londoners’ interest in the centre-forward has been renewed after being boosted by their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Arsenal are fourth in the Premier League table with four matches left to play as they sit two points above rivals Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Inter are set to sell at least three players in the summer, and one of them could be Arsenal transfer target Lautaro.
That is according to TuttoSport, who report that the Nerazzurri’s owners Suning need to raise cash yet again to balance their books.
And it’s reckoned one man in the firing line is the Argentina international, whom the Gunners are still eyeing as they desperately need attacking reinforcement.
Other players who could be let go include Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni. Out of all of them, three could be on their way out.
And Arsenal have been dealt a transfer blow in their pursuit of Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus.
Jesus is reportedly set to stay at City even if they sign Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
According to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, the striker is unlikely to leave with manager Pep Guardiola reluctant to offload him.
Di Marzio told wettfreunde: “Seeing him playing against Real Madrid, I don’t think Guardiola will allow him to leave, even if they sign Haaland, which they will, because they are very, very close.
“They still need another striker. A different type of striker. Haaland is a different type. He [Jesus] will stay, because it’s difficult to find a player like him.
“Manchester City doesn’t need to sell a player in order to get funds to buy another player. They have the possibility to buy all the players they want.”
Finally, Napoli star Victor Osimhen “dreams” of playing for Arsenal.
Reports from Nigeria cite Corriere dello Sport, who report that Osimhen wants a move to the Gunners or Manchester United this summer.
But it seems like the 23-year-old prefers the North Londoners over United.
Unsurprisingly, the Partenopei will fight tooth and nail to keep their striker and they will only listen to offers north of £84million
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
