Arsenal line up move to sign £100m Real Madrid star

When the new Premier League season starts in August, expect the Arsenal side to look a little bit different.

There will not be sweeping changes but there is a consensus that if the Gunners are to bring in some big money recruits, they will need to sell.

It is likely that one of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard will not be here next term, while there could also be exits for the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri.

Mikel Arteta’s side needed new attackers anyway but three or four departures in that area of the pitch will certainly cause them to act.

Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is one of their leading targets but who else is on the radar?

Arsenal looking at £100m Morgan Rogers alternative

The Villans do not want to sell but it is becoming increasingly likely that Rogers leaves Villa Park this summer.

Subject of vast interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, the Gunners have reportedly already held talks with the player’s camp.

Further reports have suggested that if he does move this summer then he is set to choose Arsenal providing a fee can be agreed. That price tag could well be something between £80m to £100m. Yeah, he will not come cheap.

Alternatives for the Londoners include PSG’s Bradley Barcola while teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been described as a dream target.

Speaking of talent abroad, another player on their radar is Real Madrid’s Arda Guler. That’s according to reports from Sports Boom who claim this week that Arsenal are one of a number of teams casting their eye in the direction of the Turkiye star.

A £100m player, there is ‘serious interest’ from Chelsea with Xabi Alonso viewing him as the ‘perfect’ player for his brand of football. That said, both the Gunners and Liverpool are among the chasing pack to prise him away from the Bernabeu.

One sticking point is that the player’s wish right now is to remain in Madrid.

How Guler compares to Rogers

Of the current options on the market, Rogers undoubtedly feels like one of the best out there.

We all know how much Arteta loves recruiting from within the Premier League and this would be a move akin to the likes of Declan Rice and David Raya in terms of importance. In terms of outlay, it could be one of their biggest transfers ever.

Would he be worth it? Well, a former PFA Young Player of the Year winner, he has scored 14 goals in conseuctive seasons now, registering 16 assists in 2024/25 and posting a further 12 in 2025/26. The Englishman is one of the best winger/second striker hybrids out there.

Yet, while Rogers is a seriously impressive young player, Guler is a genuine superstar in the making. We’re talking about a player who has been compared to Mesut Ozil here, a player who has been heralded as “the best CM/AM prospect in world football” by podcaster and European football expert Neal Gardner.

So, why so much hype? Well, aged just 21, the youngster is already one of Madrid’s key players. He started 40 games for the Spanish giants last season, scoring six goals and supplying 14 assists in the process.

Guler is simply getting better all the time. In 2024/25, he played fewer minutes but still came up with six goals and 11 assists.

What would represent a huge boon for Arteta is that he is even more versatile than Rogers. While the Vila man tends to play through the middle or off the left, Guler can play in both of those roles but also on the right and as a deep-lying playmaker akin to Martin Odegaard.

Compared to Rogers, he really does rank favourably in pretty much every important metric for a wide player.

It’s important to note that Villa’s main man is the better goalscorer but when it comes to creating opportunities, there is simply night and day between the two.

For this area of the game, Guler is one of the most elite playmakers in European football. He is creating an enormous 3.2 chances per 90 which will no doubt be music to the ears of Viktor Gyokeres.

Arsenal require a more out and out wide player this summer but if Guler is available then it’s an opportunity you do not turn down. He may not have experience of English football but he could be an enormous ceiling raiser for Arteta’s side, an even bigger one than Rogers.