Berta start talks to sign £80m English star for Arsenal

When Arsenal signed Declan Rice for £105m three years ago, it was going to take some topping with regards to that fee.

Yet, since then, we’ve seen Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak all move for larger price tags.

Yeah the Premier League market is rather bonkers, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you thought those fees took the cake, just wait until you see what’s happening in the window this time around.

Elliot Anderson is set to fetch a fee of over £120m with Manchester City the favourites to acquire his signature. Sandro Tonali could also become a £100m player while West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes is being valued at around £85m.

Things are all getting a little bit silly, aren’t they?

So, why will this impact the Gunners? Well, they are on the hunt for a midfielder of their own.

Arsenal start talks to sign £80m midfielder

A year ago, Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad for a fee of £55m.

That now looks like remarkably good business when you consider some of the fees being put about in the summer of 2026.

Mikel Arteta’s side had been in the race for Tonali and indeed Fernandes but that trail has gone cold. Incredibly, they could both sign for Tottenham Hotspur across north London.

Another midfielder on the club’s radar is Ayyoub Bouaddi, valued at £60m but set to rise if his incredible World Cup continues.

What’s the alternative? Bournemouth’s Alex Scott seems to fit the bill.

Speaking in the Athletic’s football podcast this week, David Ornstein noted that he is a player Arsenal “really like”, although the Cherries are in no mood to sell. Instead, they would like to renew his contract.

Now, according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Arsenal, Man United and Spurs have all begun very initial talks with the south coast side, lodging an enquiry to work out whether any deal might be possible.

If it is then previous reports have outlined a starting asking price of £80m.

Why Alex Scott would be better than Bouaddi for Arsenal

If you watched Morocco vs Brazil in the early stages of the World Cup, one player will have stood out. No, it wasn’t Vini Jr, it wasn’t Achraf Hakimi.

Instead, it was an 18-year-old by the name of Bouaddi.

The curly haired Moroccan has been making waves in Ligue 1 for Lille for a couple of years already but has become a genuine household name during the course of the global event in the USA. That performance against Brazil was sensational, completing 91% of his passes and winning nine of his 14 duels.

Technically, the teenager oozes class. Physically, he’s a monster. The ball-carrying is truly a sight to behold when he gets going.

However, at the age of 18 and with no experience of Premier League football, this move would be a risk. Every transfer is a risk, sure, but we’re talking about a player here with very little experience of the senior game.

He’s been performing exceptionally at the World Cup but in Scott, they could sign the perfect midfielder to help bolster the squad.

The Bournemouth man may not have made England’s squad for the competition but he was right on the cusp, notably travelling as part of the pre-tournament camp a few weeks ago.

Scott’s Three Lions debut will no doubt come very soon and it would not be a surprise when it does. After all, he is a phenomenally good talent.

His goal against Arsenal a few months ago has clearly struck a chord with Arteta and why wouldn’t it have? It was Scott in a nutshell.

While he is not typically known for scoring a lot of goals – he found the net four times last term – when it comes to his overall play, there are not many better midfielders in the Premier League.

One of Scott’s two best attributes are defensive contributions and ball recoveries. Last term, the 22-year-old ranked among the top 16% of midfielders in the Premier League for defensive contributions per 90 with a whopping 12.18. Bouaddi, for context, registered just four per 90 in the French top-flight.

Meanwhile, Scott made 6.14 recoveries (top 12%) to Bouaddi’s five (top 38% in Ligue 1).

When it comes so shuttling in front of the defence, there are very few better than the Cherries star right now. He has this classy nature to his play, much like Bouaddi really. Both players enjoy driving forward from deep. In that regard, they are almost identical.

Scott produced 0.44 carries from deep and 0.41 carries that end in a shot per 90. The Morocco sensation registered 0.43 in both metrics.

The potential that the Lille midfielder is quite frankly scary but we all know how much Arteta loves recruiting from within the Premier League. In that regard, Scott feels like the perfect pick for Arsenal as they go about strengthening their midfield ranks.