This summer, Arsenal has already closed three significant transactions, bringing Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz to the Emirates. Havertz cost £65 million to acquire from Chelsea, Rice set a new club record for Arsenal at £105 million paid to West Ham, and Timber traded Ajax for the Gunners in a transaction of £38.5 million.
In order to break Manchester City’s stranglehold on the Premier League championship, Arteta and sporting director Edu don’t plan on stopping there.
Raya, the custodian for Brentford, is now the focus of Arsenal. After turning down a contract extension offer that would have kept him with the Bees through 2024, the Spaniard has greatly increased his chances of finding a new team.
Raya has been linked to Tottenham in the past, and Bayern has lately made a move to sign him. However, on Sunday, Arsenal defeated the German powerhouses to put themselves in the lead for the shot-stopper.
And Raya’s personal terms have subsequently been agreed upon by the North London side. They will now attempt to reach a deal with Brentford, who are demanding £40 million.
However, Josip Sutalo will not be the only new player to sign with Arsenal this summer as they are also considering Raya. He is a center-back who now plays for Dinamo Zagreb and represented Croatia at the 2022 World Cup.
In April, reports emerging from Sutalo’s home country claimed his transfer to Arsenal was ‘close’. That appeared to be wide of the mark, but a second source has now confirmed that Arsenal does want Sutalo, even if they are not as close to finalizing a deal as previously thought.
Arsenal interested in Croatia star, claims report
Arsenal and Fiorentina are competing for Sutalo, 23, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
A bid from Fiorentina for the defender that was rejected by his present club was for €15 million (£12.8 million). Dinamo Zagreb has determined he won’t leave unless a €25 million (£21.4 million) deal comes in.
This is beyond Fiorentina’s control. Additionally, Fiorentina is “frightened” since Arsenal has the money to easily meet that £21.4m requirement, making a move to Italy even less likely.
As long as Edu approves a suitable offer, it appears that Arsenal will win the competition for Sutalo rather easily.
Arsenal will have to wait if Sutalo relocates to England. He will need some time to get used to playing outside of his native Croatia because he has never done it.
But there’s a fair chance he’ll eventually compete with Arteta for a starting position. After all, Sutalo graduated from one of Europe’s top academies, Dinamo Zagreb.
In fact, before moving on to bigger leagues, elite players like Lovro Majer, Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol, and Luka Modric sharpened their skills there.