Arsenal could shelve Rice and Caicedo deals to fund more transfers including Mount in huge overhaul with SIX stars going

MIKEL ARTETA is reconsidering Arsenal’s summer transfer strategy following this week’s painful defeat at Manchester City.

The club had been planning to make just two major signings and had allocated up to £150million to bid for central midfielders Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.

But Arteta feels other areas of his squad also need strengthening.

And now they are exploring ways to finance moves for two more defenders and possibly another winger.

Arteta’s rethink comes after noting his team’s title challenge was undermined by centre-half William Saliba’s injury absence.

The French international, 22, was the only first-team regular unavailable for Wednesday’s trip to the Etihad yet his team simply could not cope with City.

Losing 4-1 was a huge title blow and Arteta said: “It is extremely hard to reach City’s levels, and we were nowhere near.”

And with Arsenal returning to the Champions League next season after a six-year absence, Arteta knows too many squad players are not up to the required standard to play at the very highest level.

Arteta has relied on a core of 11 players all season but had difficulty maintaining performances with any unavailable.

Rob Holding, Fabio Vieira, Jakub Kiwior, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson struggled when asked to cover as Arsenal have seen an eight-point lead over City at the top turn into a potential four-point deficit.

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Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith Rowe are unhappy with a lack of game time and Folarin Balogun made it clear he is reluctant to return from his Reims loan if he is not going to be a first-team regular.

Yet they could all be told to stay put as back-up next term.

There is still hope of persuading Nelson to sign a new deal before his current one expires at the end of the season.

Other players out on loan — including Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari — do not figure in Arteta’s plans and will be sold to generate funds.

Brighton’s 3-1 midweek loss at Nottingham Forest means Arsenal have now sealed Champions League qualification.

That will boost their coffers by around £80m and Arteta has nearly £70m burning a hole in his pocket after failed January moves for Caicedo and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Yet West Ham captain Rice could cost as much as £100m and Caceido will not come much cheaper as Brighton rejected Arsenal’s £60m bid then persuaded the 21-year-old to sign a new contract to 2027.

Now Arsenal are looking at potentially cheaper alternatives, with Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans — who will be a free agent in the summer — both on their radar.

Valladolid full-back Ivan Fresneda remains a target and there is also interest in Crystal Palace centre-half Marc Guehi.

Arteta is determined to make sure this title challenge is not a one-off and wants substantial investment for next term.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk