Arsenal are rumoured to have made an offer for one player, after Mikel Arteta personally requested his signing behind-the-scenes, with new sporting director Andrea Berta attempting to grant the manager’s transfer wish.
Arsenal play Ipswich after historic win over Real Madrid
The Gunners are now the only team in football history to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu twice on their two visits, breaking a record which stood for 77 years, but more importantly, they find themselves in the Champions League semi-finals after their win in Spain on Wednesday.
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Andrea Berta could now strike a half-price deal.
Arsenal made a real statement to the rest of the continent that they’re serious contenders to win this year’s Champions League title after their resounding 5-1 aggregate win over the 15-time European champions, but a tough test in PSG now awaits them.
Luis Enrique’s side are the mainstream media’s favourites to clinch this year’s competition, going by this BBC prediction piece, with former Arsenal and England defender Matthew Upson calling the Ligue 1 champions “standout” performers throughout the tournament.
|
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Ipswich Town (away) |
April 20th |
|
Crystal Palace (home) |
April 23rd |
|
Bournemouth (home) |
May 3rd |
|
Liverpool (away) |
May 11th |
|
Newcastle United (home) |
May 18th |
PSG are unbeaten in the league, winning 23 of their 28 French top flight matches so far, but Arsenal have already reigned victorious over them once this season – a 2-0 league phase win back in October, courtesy of goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
Arteta can take encouragement for this, not to mention how Aston Villa very nearly turned their quarter-final tie with PSG on its head, but first the north Londoners must take on Ipswich and Crystal Palace in the Premier League – which could be viewed as two warm-up games ahead of the blockbuster Champions League tie.
“For a short period of time yes, it was a great evening,” said Arteta on celebrating Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid.
“We had a lot of family and a lot of happy faces around the club, so it was a good moment, but immediately you have to switch it up, and now it’s Ipswich in the Premier League.”
Arsenal make “ambitious” offer for Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams
Away from the pitch, Berta is already planning for next season by earmarking Arsenal’s top summer targets.
One of them is widely believed to be Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams, who’s back to his very best in this latter stage of the campaign and most recently guided his side into the Europa League semi-finals with a decisive goal against Rangers.
The £170,000-per-week winger, regarded as one of Europe’s most exciting talents, has been subject to intense interest from Arsenal in recent weeks, and Berta recently held talks with Williams’ representatives.
The 22-year-old is also regarded by Arteta as a “perfect” player for Arsenal, according to Fabrizio Romano, and another update has now come to light on their pursuit of the Basque sensation.
According to a Spanish media report, as cited by Football 365, Arteta has personally requested the forward’s signing – prompting Arsenal to make an “ambitious” offer for Williams. He is believed to be increasingly tempted by the possibility of playing in England, and Arsenal see Williams as a key target – meaning they are also ready to pay his release clause of around £50 million.
The nature of this offer is currently unclear, but Arsenal are apparently taking action due to Barcelona’s “inactivity” in the race for Williams.
