Arsenal transfers LIVE – Gabriel plea, Rice challenge, Olise replacement (2024)

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That's all from me today.

Tomorrow is a new day and Arsenal will be once again linked with players from around Europe.

Could the speculation be true?

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Match-winning assist for Saka

Match-winning contribution from Bukayo Saka as his assist for Jude Bellingham gets England off to a winning start.

It was a game of two halves for the Three Lions who enjoyed a strong first-half before enduring a difficult final 45 with Serbia putting them under pressure.

They face Denmark on June 20.

Declan Rice very good in midfield.

Arsenal must pay at least €40m for attacking target

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Girona striker Artem Dovbyk.

Diari de Girona has claimed that the Gunners are among the European sides looking into a move for last season's La Liga top goalscorer.

The outlet discusses how the Ukranian was a bargain after signing from SK Dnipro-1 for a fee in the region of €8million last summer. Twelve months on, it has been claimed that he will only be allowed to leave if a club goes close to the release clause which is in the region of €40m to €50m.

Saka assist

13 minutes and there's an assist on Bukayo Saka's Euro 2024 record.

He bursts down the right and clips a delightful right-footed cross into the perfect area for Jude Bellingham to thump a header home.

1-0 England, shaking off those early nerves.

Rice and Saka watch: England group stages underway

Rice and Saka are in action and they're both well in the mix for England after two minutes.

Gareth Southgate sprung a surprise by opting for Trent Alexander-Arnold to start but he occupies a place in midfield with Bellingham and the Arsenal midfielder.

England are looking to avoid an upset against Serbia who boast Vlahovic, formerly linked with Arsenal, and Mitrovic.

England team news to face Serbia

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka start for England in their Group C opener against Serbia.

In the other fixture in the group, Denmark and Slovenia couldn't be separated - drawing 1-1.

England team to face Seria: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier, Rice, Alexander-Arnold, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Kane.

Arsenal not likely suitors for Jack Grealish

Chris Waddle believes Arsenal wouldn't be an option for Jack Grealish as he faces an uncertain future at Manchester City.

The attacker has struggled to reach the heights that earned him the lucrative move to the Etihad Stadium from Aston Villa. His inconsistent form meant that he wasn't selected for Gareth Southgate's European Championships squad.

Waddle told Betway: "If you’re buying Grealish, are you buying him as a winger? Tottenham like pace, Jack is not blessed with pace. You’d have to play him in a number 10 role, and they already have James Maddison for that.

"So Spurs no, and I wouldn’t say Arsenal either. Liverpool play a very high tempo game, so I’m not sure about there too. What you’re looking at is, would you play Grealish as a winger or a number 10, or midfield player? If I was buying him I’d be looking to play him in the middle. He does a job on the wing, but wingers create, get round the back, and Jack can’t get round the back.

"Yeah, he doesn’t give the ball away and doesn’t take a lot of risks, gives the side balance. But I think I’d be looking at his old club Aston Villa, I’d be looking to play him in that three in the middle of the park. I’m not sure about Newcastle, they play a high tempo and press. I think he has to go to a side where they are looking to play him as a midfield player.

"Chelsea could be an outside bet with Gallagher possibly going, you could see him playing that midfield role. He’d be more effective there. He’s got vision, he can see things, he’s good at give and go. But he’s stuck on that wing, you’re thinking there is surely more in his locker.

"So if I was a top club looking for a winger, I’d be looking at players ahead of Grealish."

Nelson exit

Reiss Nelson has reportedly told Arsenal he wants to assess his options this summer ahead of a possible transfer.

He only signed a new dew deal 12 months ago but rarely featured last season and has now been tipped to exit.

It is said that he is keen to explore opportunities to leave the club. Claims also say that Arsenal rejected approaches for him in January.

Nelson could be available for around £20million.

Fofana price

Arsenal could sign Yousouff Fofana for as little as £13million this summer.

He has been linked with a move to the club as they look to bolster the midfield ranks.

Fofana has just over a year left on his contract which has opened Monaco up to a cut-price sale.

Neville explains why Arsenal wanted Sesko

Speaking ahead of Slovenia's Euro 2024 clash with Denmark, Gary Neville was full of praise for Benjamin Sesko who chose to reject a move to Arsenal and stay at RB Leipzig.

He told ITV Sport:

Goals, youth (why he's so impressive) physically I think we're moving back to having big striker up top - the game seems to have flipped to having big strikers. He's got so much potential, you can see why Premier League clubs (want him) and why he's staying at Leipzig for another year, to grow without the spotlight that you'd have in the Premier League and develop your game a little bit more.

Mbappe on Giroud

We all love a bit of Giroud praise, right?

Well, let Euros fever kick in for a second. Here's what Kylian Mbappe has to say:

“At 37, he’s still there. He doesn’t let go. He never gave up, anyway. He always came to take away what was owed to him. I have nothing but respect for Olivier.

“It’s important to have a player of his experience in this young group. He really tries to share his experience as much as possible. He’s a bit like the dad of the team. He’s old enough to be Warren’s [Zaïre-Emery] father! It’s crazy, though.

“This is his last competition, so we will try to make the most of it for him, so that he goes to the United States with a head full of memories.”

When asked if Giroud will remain the top-scorer for France for a long time, Mbappe replied with a smile: “Not necessarily, no. But we don’t talk about that.

“I know what an accomplishment this record represents for him. As long as he is our team’s top scorer, we must remember him, talk about him, and not about those who are likely to catch up with him.

“It’s up to us to honour him. I think it’s important, as I said for Antoine [Griezmann]. We don’t have to wait for these guys to leave to realize what they have done for the country.”

Former Arsenal star issues apology after Campbell tribute

Ray Parlour apologised for what he called an 'insensitive' tribute to Kevin Campbell.

The two men were teammates at Arsenal together and Parlour had already tweeted his condolences to Campbell's family.

However, he then deleted a tweet where he was filmed drinking a mix of Jagermeister and beer in his former teammate's honour.

READ MORE HERE

Shearer pays heartfelt tribute to Campbell

The Arsenal and football world was rocked on Saturday when it was announced that former striker Kevin Campbell had passed away at the age of 54.

Tributes poured in from all corners for the player who also represented Everton, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion.

Among those to send his condolences was Shearer who gave a heartfelt tribute before Italy vs Albania.

READ MORE HERE

Gabriel sends plea to Brazil fans after Ronaldinho's comments

Ronaldinho declared he had resigned from supporting the Brazil national team on Friday in an extraordinary outburst on social media.

Responding to that, the Arsenal centre-back posted on social media a picture of himself in training with Brazil accompanied by a prayer emoji.

Ronaldinho has since clarified that these were not his thoughts and rather the opinions of those on social media. He wrote:

I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever. And I'd never say those things you see... Actually, these words came from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments that I saw on the internet... Imagine listening to these messages before you play? Nope, motivation goes down... Fan support makes a huge difference to the player, I know what I'm talking about. Guys, what our boys need is support at this time. The more confidence we show, the more confidence they will have on the field. That's why, I joined Rexona (deodorant company) in this movement to encourage the Cheer That Doesn't Quit. We are asking everyone to send messages of support and confidence ahead of the CONMEBOL Copa America.

Hamann and Hoddle disagree on Rice

Speaking on the In The Zone podcast, former Germany international Didi Hamann and ex-England boss Glenn Hoddle disagreed about the ability of Rice.

Hamann began:

People tell me Declan Rice is the best centre midfielder in the Premier League, but I don't think he's anywhere near Rodri. And when I watched Declan Rice in the Champions League this season, he was at fault for the first goal against Bayern Munich. He should pick the ball up, that's his position. If Rice actually does his job alongside Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, all he has to do is hoover up. He has to anticipate, win the battles and give the ball back to his teammates.

However, Hoddle interjected:

I do think Rice is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. Sometimes he wants to do too much and he lets the other side of his game down. I think that's his mindset, it has to change for England and that's down to Southgate now. He's got to sit Rice down and tell him the role he's got to play for the team. At Arsenal, Rice can play with Jorginho who sits in next to him and that's where he's such a good player. Rice becomes a semi-No.8 rather than a No.6, he’s allowed to go forward and he drives with the ball. But I think for this England team and this tournament, he has got to be the one that stays back and doesn’t move forward. He has to support the defence and he needs to receive the ball from the back four.

Manchester United could have edge on Arsenal in Chiesa pursuit

Italian forward Chiesa has an uncertain future at Juventus and his next move could be determined by the future of Mason Greenwood.

Earlier this week, there were reports which suggested Juve were looking to offer Chiesa as a makeweight in a deal to bring Greenwood to Turin. This could therefore scupper Arsenal's chances of bringing the Italian to the Emirates Stadium especially if his future is decided by the prospect of Greenwood moving to Juve.

Chiesa timeline

Arsenal will have to wait until after Euro 2024 to complete the signing of Federico Chiesa.

The Gunners have been linked with a move for the Juventus man - somewhat surprisingly - but won't be able to do business for him until after his international duties are over.

It has been reported that Chiesa has been offered to a number of Premier League clubs this summer including Chelsea and Newcastle.

Szczesny U-turn

Having looked like he was going to sign for Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Nassr, former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has once again been linked with a return.

He had been primed to leave Juventus under Thiago Motta but complications around a deal have now left his future uncertain.

Throughout the summer Arsenal have been touted as an outside possibility for the Polish international, especially with a sale of Aaron Ramsdale possible.

Szczesny's move to the Middle East is now on standby, which has opened Arsenal up to a move.

Yildiz eager to get playing time he deserves

Throughout his young career to date, Yildiz has been eager to make moves that benefit his career. He left Bayern Munich for Juventus as a youngster because he believed they would advance his career further.

He made 39 appearances this campaign scoring six goals but he did not complete a full 90 minutes in Serie A this season.

The closest he got to that was 88 minutes in the final game against Monza so should Arsenal want to bring him to the club, they will need to be willing to show that they can offer him further progression than in Turin.

Arsenal eyeing Sesko replacement

After missing out on a move for Benjamin Sesko this week, Arsenal are looking at alternatives to add to their strike force.

According to the Daily Mirror, Turkey international Kenan Yildiz is being targeted as a possibility.

After an impressive breakthrough year at Juventus, Yildiz broke into the Turkey squad on merit after scoring a wonder goal in a 3-2 victory over Germany.

At 19 he is 6ft1 and is no slouch either. A price of £25m will need to be coughed up to bring him to the Emirates Stadium though.

Is it time to move Nelson on?

The winger is clearly supremely talented and it is difficult to make a decision to sell a player who could offer so much to Arteta moving forward.

However, the Arsenal manager may have to follow a move from his mentor Guardiola's playbook and allow him to leave if that is what he wishes to do.

It is understood £20m will be required to allow Palace or another suitor to bring him to the club and that feels like a good deal for the Gunners.

Arsenal hit with Olise fallout

With Chelsea pushing ahead with their plans to sign Palace winger Michael Olise, Arsenal could find themselves hit with the fallout.

According to Caught Offside, the Eagles will look to make a move for Reiss Nelson if they are forced to sell Olise.

Fulham and West Ham are also thought to be keen on the 24-year-old but it is Palace who are believed to have made the first move and have opened talks.

Zirkzee latest

Fabrizio Romano says:

"Let me clarify one thing on Joshua Zirkzee. AC Milan are the clear frontrunners for the Dutch striker.

"AC Milan have been working on this deal for months. They did a very good job in anticipating the market because Milan started working on this deal at the end of 2023.

"In January, February, March, they started building everything around the player. They have an agreement almost done on the salary.

"Days ago, they communicated to Bologna that they will trigger the buy option clause for Joshua Zirkzee in case they can agree a deal with player and agents."

Guirassy hope

Arsenal have now joined the race to sign Stuttgart goal machine Serhou Guirassy.

Reports from Germany say that the Gunners have turned to Guirassy after missing out on Sesko.

Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund have all been linked with the player.

He has a tiny release clause of just £17million which has made a deal all the more enticing.

Smith Rowe price

Arsenal want to get at least £30million for Emile Smith Rowe this summer, according to reports.

It had been said that Luton were interested in getting him on loan but a Fulham have also been linked.

Smith Rowe is another that has rarely played for Arsenal in the past 18 months and is now looking for alternative options.

Joao Neves battle

PSG are the latest team now showing interest in Benfica midfielder Joao Neves.

It is reported that the player is on their shortlist but not the only option.

Arsenal and Manchester United are said to have been monitoring him 'for months.'

Benfica won't let him go for less than the steep £110million release clause.

Dovbyk enquiry

This is very different.

Arsenal have been linked with Girona forward Artem Dovbyk.

It is said that the Gunners have joined the race and have asked about his availability.

Chelsea and Tottenham have also been linked with him, and there is a reporter £34million release clause in his contract.

Atletico Madrid have been said in some quarters to be closing in on a deal.

Simons uncertainty

Xavi Simons will wait until after Euro 2024 to decide his next steps.

The attacker has been linked with Arsenal for years now but playing at PSG is not necessarily on the cards.

It is said from France that Arsenal are along with Bayern Munich, Manchester United and City, in reaching out to buy Simons.

PSG reportedly don't want a sale before January though with a large portion of the fee going to PSV instead, so a loan is preferred.

Simons will have the final say though.

Toney meeting

Arsenal are said to have met with Ivan Toney over a possible transfer.

However, there's a twist here, with the club going quiet over a move because they aren't convinced he's the man for the job, to put it one way.

It is claimed that he isn't seen as the right fit personality-wise for the squad. Despite changing agencies and meeting with Arsenal nothing has come so far.

Onana enquiry

In case you missed this one last night.

The Liverpool Echo report that Arsenal have made an enquiry over the availability of Amadou Onana.

It is said that Everton are asking for over £50million to sign the player and that Mikle Arteta has long-admired Onana.

Arsenal made the contact immediately after the start of the summer window on Friday.