Arsenal in club-to-club talks to land £80m star

Arsenal come into the tranfer window this summer needing to strengthen their forward line.

There was not a long wrong with the Gunners in 2025/26 as they sealed a first Premier League title in over two decades but their attack does need some work.

That was abundantly clear in the Champions League final last Saturday. Sure, it was one of PSG’s poorer displays from an offensive point of view but the difference in forward lines is remarkable.

In Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Khivcha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, Luis Enrique has one of the most frigthening attacks in football right now.

Arsenal’s attack, however, is not very scary, even if the team as a whole were one of the finest in Europe this term.

One of the additions they could make to breathe fresh life into things is Morgan Rogers but he’s not the only Premier League player Mikel Arteta and Co are targeting.

Arsenal could sign £80m Premier League star

In the early stages of the close season it would appear that Aston Villa’s Rogers is Arsenal’s number one transfer target.

Reports last week indicated that the Gunners had held talks with the England international’s camp over a move and while club-to-club talks are yet to open, the BBC have since reported that Arsenal’s interest in the player is ‘genuine’.

However, Villa understandably do not want to lose their key man, particularly after securing Champions League football, and have placed a price tag on his head of £80m-£100m.

Bolstering the forward line is important but whether or not they have another £100m acquisition up their sleeves remains to be seen.

Another priority for Arsenal this summer is bolstering the midfield. David Ornstein reported from Budapest on Saturday that the Gunners “want a 6 and 8 midfielder”.

Who could that player be? Well, unsurprisingly, it’s another Premier League player in the club’s crosshairs, specifically West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.

Looking to take advantage of the Hammers’ relegation, Fernandes is a player who is also fielding interest from Manchester United and Liverpool.

At the moment, Arsenal and United are the frontrunners for the player’s signature according to TEAMtalk with the report noting that both sides have already opening talks with West Ham regarding the Portuguese midfielder.

Fernandes has been given the greenlight to leave the Irons by club officials and is now assessing his options.

As a consequence, the recruitment teams at the Emirates and at Old Trafford are weighing up ‘formal bids’ for the 21-year-old.

Like Rogers, this will not be a cheap deal to do with the report outlining West Ham’s £80m asking price.

Why Fernandes would be a better signing than Rogers for Arsenal

If Arsenal were able to complete a deal to sign Rogers from Villa it would mark a huge signal of intent going into next season.

This is a former PFA Young Player of the Year award winner, a player who has scored 14 goals in back to back campaigns and a man who could well be in with a chance of starting ahead of Jude Bellingham for England at this summer’s World Cup.

However, questions are rightfully being asked about Rogers’ profile. A number 10 with the ability to play off the left, a goalscorer and a creator, you could argue that Arsenal already have that sort of player in their squad in the shape of Eberechi Eze.

As a result, if Arsenal are to strengthen their wide areas this summer, surely signing an out-and-out left winger would be a better use of funds. Likewise, spending a big sum of money on a new midfielder would be a better use of funds than signing a profile of player they already have.

Why does Arteta need more midfielders? Well, as good as Martin Zubimendi was in the first half of the season, his performances started to seriously wane in the back end of the campaign.

From scoring twice against Nottingham Forest to dominating alongside Declan Rice at the base of the midfield, he started ceding possession on a regular basis, notably dispossessed in the build-up to Bryan Mbeumo’s goal for Man United at the Emirates.

Zubimendi looked limited technically and was not able to punch the ball through the lines. It explains why Myles Lewis-Skelly came into the team.

He immediately progressed play a lot more efficiently and helped to break through the lines in midfield.

In Fernandes, they could sign a player capable of doing the same as Lewis-Skelly, albeit in a slightly different way. While Lewis-Skelly is capable of manipulating his body in incredible ways to evade the press, it’s Fernandes ability to hold onto possession when he’s running forward that is so striking.

One of the players the West Ham man is most similar to is Declan Rice. We’re not making a lazy comparison here; there’s statistical evidence to support such a claim.

Indeed, the two best ‘ground eaters’ in the Premier League during 2025/26 were Rice and Fernandes. No two midfielders had a higher ratio of progressive carry distance to turnover per carry.

For a team that lacked progression from Zubimendi, the young West Ham star feels like an ideal signing. In 2025/26, he made 4.05 progressive carries per 90 minutes. That was even more than Rice who completed 3.32 and far more than last summer’s midfield signing who made just 2.94.

Already a “superstar” in the words of writer Joost van der Leij , Arsenal’s big-money target has quickly established himself as one of the best young midfielders in the world. When compared with U21 players who are positionally similiar across Europe’s top seven leagues, he ranks first for possession won, defensive duels won and interceptions. He’s also second for progressive passes completed.

As a result, Fernandes certainly feels like he should be one of Arsenal’s main targets this summer. Rogers would be great but Arteta badly needs another midfielder and someone who can help in transition. His profile suits what the team needs more right now than Rogers does.