Arsenal might be top of the Premier League, but Mikel Arteta and the Emirates Stadium board already have their eyes on strengthening even further this summer.
The Gunners are two points ahead of defending champions Manchester City and can go five points clear on Wednesday when they face Everton. Nonetheless, the North London giants are still in need of reinforcements, especially in midfield, with the latest reports claiming that Edu and Co. are targeting two midfielders.
The first name is an obvious one. Declan Rice has long been on Arsenal's list and it is no secret that the Englishman is target no.1 for the league leaders. According to the Times, Arteta's side are confident of beating Chelsea in the race to sign the West Ham captain but it would be interesting to see what happens should Manchester United and Manchester City intensify their interest in the 24-year-old.
The Three Lions ace is set to leave this summer and with the player wanting UEFA Champions League football, 10th-placed Chelsea might struggle to land him. Arsenal appear destined to return to Europe's premier club competition but the club could end up spending £80M ($97M) on Rice, which would make him their most expensive signing in history, overtaking Nicolas Pepe.
And he isn't the only midfield sensation on Arsenal's radar. The report adds that the league leaders could reignite their interest in Moises Caicedo as Arteta is keen on adding two central midfielders to his roster.
The North London giants infamously launched a late January bid for the Ecuadorian ace but were rejected twice by Brighton despite the player publicly asking to leave the Amex. The 21-year-old, who is both an impressive tackler and lovely technician, is still admired by the Premier League leaders but they could be forced to cash in on a few of their own players in order to raise funds.
Nuno Tavares and Albert Sami Lokonga will likely be put up for sale as Mikel also desires a winger and a left-back. Additionally, the club would listen to offers for Kieran Tierney as the highly-rated Scottish defender has struggled for game time at the Emirates Stadium since the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are yet to make a decision on Granit Xhaka and whether to hand the Switzerland captain a new deal. Likewise, Emile Smith Rowe, who has been plagued with injuries for the past year, is facing a similar situation.
And then there is Folarin Balogun, the young Gunners striker on loan at Reims and liting things up in Ligue 1. The 21-year-old will return to London this summer but with Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus being ahead of him in the pecking order, the player doesn't want to be Arteta's third-choice forward. As a result, a decision will have to be made regarding his future.
