Arsenal Transfers: Priority target for the summer already identified

The January transfer window is still very much open, but Arsenal are already looking towards 2023/24 and beyond. The latest reports suggest the club has made West Ham midfielder their top summer target.

The Gunners have endured transfer heartbreak this month after Chelsea pipped the Premier League leaders to the services of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.

The 22-year-old was unveiled at Stamford Bridge just hours before Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points following a 2-0 victory in the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon.

Priority target for the summer already identified

The Mikel Arteta project is in full swing and there are no signs of the Gunners letting up despite their current malaise in the winter market. The club are hopeful of bringing in a forward before the end of January, but an obvious target is yet to manifest in the wake of Mudryk’s move to Chelsea.

The need for an extra midfielder has also become apparent, but it seems that Arsenal will wait until the summer to bring in their top target. West Ham captain Rice will not leave the Hammers this month, but the east Londoners have accepted that he’ll depart in the summer with his contract expiring in 2024.

The Times report that Arsenal have joined the race to sign Rice and are growing in confidence over striking a deal due to their current position in the Premier League table. The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested in signing the England international in what’s poised to be a summer dogfight for his signature.

West Ham have previously valued Rice at £150m but his contract situation means they’ll struggle to garner such a fee this summer. Arsenal’s final bid for Mudryk suggests there’s money to be spent, and they could make a big splurge to sign Rice this summer.

It’d be a mammoth piece of business from the Gunners should they pull it off.