Arsenal in talks to sign £80m star

Arsenal simply have to sign a midfielder this summer, that much is clear.

After England’s round of 32 World Cup clash with DR Congo, Thomas Tuchel revealed that Declan Rice had been playing with “terrible pain”.

He was seen with ice on his hamstrings at the end and really, it is not much of a surprise.

Rice barely missed a single minute of football last term as the Gunners won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final. He ran himself into the ground for his club and he is now doing the same for his country.

With that in mind, Mikel Arteta needs more adequate cover going into the new season.

How Arsenal can solve their lack of depth in midfield

This summer is set to be a big one for Arsenal, providing they can drive down the price of a few players.

The leading target for Andrea Berta and Co is Morgan Rogers but he is being valued at a ridiculous £130m following Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Manchester City. It’s a transfer that is set to ruin the market with Sandro Tonali heading to Spurs in a £100m switch.

No elite Premier League player will ever come cheap but it does feel as though this summer, the market has gone particularly mad. Newcastle have so far knocked back Arsenal’s advances for Bruno Guimaraes while any potential move for Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi is getting more expensive as the days past, now valued at £80m.

So, what’s the solution for the Gunners? Well, they may well have to get creative this summer and look elsewhere. This window is going to be a tough nut to crack.

One solution could lie in Bournemouth’s Alex Scott but they look set to encounter similar problems. Reportedly worth £80m, the Cherries do not want to sell their star midfielder.

Arsenal have been told that during early discussions. Indeed, according to BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella, multiple clubs have been in “direct contact” with Bournemouth about a move including the Gunners and both Manchester clubs.

Bournemouth have offered Scott a new deal in a bid to tie him down further at the Vitality Stadium. Even if he doesn’t pen new terms, Marco Rose’s side are unlikely to sell this summer. That would leave him with just two years left on his contract and a depreciating market value.

Why Alex Scott is perfect for Declan Rice

Since signing for Arsenal in the summer of 2023, Rice has become one of the best midfielders in world football. He’s an ever-present figure who can seemingly do it all.

Whether it be in defence and breaking up attacks, or whether it be in the final third, the Englishman is a highly skilled player capable of contributing effectively in all phases of play.

He’s become one of the best set-piece takers around and he’s capable of absolutely running a game. Matches against Real Madrid and PSG in 2024/25 showcase that perfectly.

2025/26 was also an impressive one for Rice but there is a feeling that he needs a better partner, however impressive he thinks his partnership with Martin Zubimendi is.

The Spaniard made an instant impact after arriving last summer, so much so that Arsenal’s club-record signing described their understanding as “outstanding” last November.

“I just really liked him as a person and as a player. As the games have gone on, our understanding of each other has been outstanding. He’s such a nice guy. We all trust him with the ball. If there is a player on you, it is just easy to give him the ball, and we all feel so confident with him. He has been so good for us – an unbelievable player.” – Declan Rice on Martin Zubimendi.

The trouble is that as the season went on, Zubimendi’s performances became weaker. He looked incredibly tired. It’s no surprise really. Of Arsenal’s outfield players, only Rice played more minutes.

It meant that towards the book end of the season, Rice started further back with Myles Lewis-Skelly ahead of him. Well, Scott could play a similar role to Arsenal’s young midfielder.

What Rice could do alongside him is a runner and Scott is precisely that. Indeed, as of February when the data was recorded, no player in the Premier League had covered more high-speed running distance out of possession than Scott – 10.90km.

A tireless midfielder, an extremely hard worker, the 22-year-old is extremely competent in all phases of play, much like Rice.

Arsenal saw firsthand how good he is going forward when he struck home a fabulous goal the Emirates Stadium that supporters thought may have been fatal in their bid to win the title.

Yet, similarly to Rice, he’s capable of mopping up play. He registered a whopping 12.18 defensive contributions per 90 last term, ranking him among the top 15% of midfielders in England’s top-flight while Scott also made 6.14 ball recoveries. That placed him among the best 12% of positionally similar players.

Judging by that, he could complement Rice perfectly. The Gunners are in dire need of finding another energetic midfielder to match their number 41 and Scott could be just the man they are looking for.