Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with the agents of a “dream” target for manager Mikel Arteta, and the Gunners know exactly what is required to convince the player to make a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Andrea Berta set for “big” first summer at Arsenal
The Italian was officially announced as Arsenal’s new director in late March, with Arteta since tipping Berta to have a “big” first summer transfer window at N5.
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£200k-per-week Arsenal star “looking” to quit despite Real Madrid “masterclass”
He produced a truly excellent display against Los Blancos.
Arteta candidly expressed his excitement over Berta’s appointment, and the 53-year-old could even orchestrate a summer spend of up to £300 million on seven key signings, according to GiveMeSport.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
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Brentford (home) |
April 12th |
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Ipswich Town (away) |
April 20th |
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Crystal Palace (home) |
April 23rd |
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Bournemouth (home) |
May 3rd |
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Liverpool (away) |
May 11th |
The north Londoners are plotting serious changes to Arteta’s squad across the board, defensively, in midfield and further forward, with Berta expected to target a new back-up keeper, full-back, midfielders, a left-winger, an alternative to Bukayo Saka and, of course, a goalscoring number nine (GMS).
The wide positions will be a key area of improvement, with uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Leandro Trossard as the Belgian begins to enter the final 12 months of his contract.
Saka was a dear miss when the England star was sidelined through injury, which undoubtedly played a role in Arsenal falling miles behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, and Arsenal could move to bring in a proven back-up.
According to credible recent reports, that man could be Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams, who’s capable of playing both on the right and on the left. Arsenal have also held very recent talks with Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane over signing as a free agent, but as things stand, the German favours remaining under Vincent Kompany.
With a move for Sane looking less likely, and Williams expected to push for a Bilbao exit, it is believed that Berta reached out for talks with the 22-year-old’s representatives last week.
The Spain international’s contract contains a tempting £48 million release clause, but the real issue will lie in his wages.
Nico Williams makes £250k-per-week demand to join Arsenal
Following talks with Berta last week, it has now been revealed by GiveMeSport that Williams will demand a salary of around £250,000-per-week to join Arsenal or any other interested club, which would make him the club’s third-highest earner behind just Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
Arsenal’s wage bill is currently massive, and Berta will be eager to avoid skyrocketing it even further amid PSR and FFP regulations.
That being said, Williams is definitely worth the effort to prise away from Bilbao, if Arsenal can reach a compromise on his pay packet expectations. He bagged 19 assists in all competitions last term and played a starring role in Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024, leaving little surprise that GMS have also reported the winger is a “dream” target for Arteta.
“Nico is unique, wonderful,” said José Mourinho recently.
“During the European Championship, people were focused on Lamine Yamal, who is obviously another wonderful kid, but personally, I prefer Nico. He’s a fantastic player, and you can’t think that a Turkish club could sign him. I hope he ends up with Real Madrid.”
