James Maddison: Arsenal make their offer for Leicester City midfielder

Arsenal are after their next summer target, Leicester City’s James Maddison; the club has initiated talks with their first bid involving a player heading in the other direction.

It has so far been a good summer window for Arsenal. Not only have they gotten rid of some of the deadwood (a lot more needs to be shipped out still) they have also acquired the services of some top talents in Europe.

So far the Gunners have recruited and signed four players  – and in areas that were in need of strengthening in numbers and quality – but they are far from done it seems.

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James Maddison opening bid

James Maddison is at the top of the priority list, having missed the chance to make Martin Odegaard’s loan stay a permanent one. This has prompted the quest for a new playmaker.

The playmaker role has been a gaping hole since the departure and alienation of Mesut Ozil – the club has struggled to find an adequate debutant for the German. Maddison has been named by Mikel Arteta as the perfect fit for the playmaker role.

"Arsenal and another London club have proposed a player plus cash deal for Leicester midfielder James Maddison, football.london understands.A source close to Maddison told football.london that the 24-year-old is ‘at the top of the list’ for Arsenal in the summer transfer window.The major sticking point for Arsenal however, is Leicester’s demands of over £60million for the former Norwich and Coventry midfielder.Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah are among the players available for transfer this summer, although it is not confirmed who has been offered as the makeweight. (Via: football.london)"

The Gunners are said to have offered a fee plus a player that could be one of, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson or Eddie Nketiah – but we are still waiting on confirmation on which one will be the chosen one in the swap deal plus cash.

Leicester City has made it no secret in their valuation of Maddison; some outlets reckon the Foxes want no less than £80m while others believe they will settle for £60m.

What’s happening with Lautaro Martinez?

Out of nowhere, Lautaro Martinez has become a priority signing for Arsenal. It was first believed that Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham was the club’s main target – but since Martinez expressed his interest in wanting to play for the North London club and Arteta a major fan of him – he overjumps Tammy at the main striker target for the summer.

With Alexandre Lacazette’s departure becoming more and more a reality for the Gunners – a replacement is required – this is where Lautaro comes in. Funding this transfer could be the only stumbling block.

Tammy Abraham’s a priority?

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As of recent reports Tammy Abraham has become a backup option to the surprised linked, Lautaro Martinez. Abraham’s has been the subject of a Chelsea exit since Thomas Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal was one of three clubs rumoured to want the Englishman but nothing concrete has come of the links to either club. At this point in time, Aston Villa could be leading the race for him, despite some reports stating a move to the Emirates could be completed soon.

The Gunners goalkeeper search continues

Arsenal continues to look for a first-choice goalkeeper to either play Bernd Leno out of his position or to replace him when/if he leaves.

They now seem likely to miss on one of the prime marks, André Onana, with Lyon said to have reached an agreement with Ajax for the stopper. Aaron Ramsdale remains in the discussion but nothing legitimate has come from the links between Sheffield United and Arsenal.

Arsenal done deals

Joined the club [4 players]

Nuno Tavares [Benfica] Details
Albert Sambi Lokonga [Anderlecht]
Mika Biereth [Fulham]
Ben White [Brighton]

Left the club [19 players]

David Luiz [released]
Levi Laing [released]
Joseph Olowu [released]
Luke Plange [released]
Jason Sraha [released]
Trae Coyle [Lausanne–Sport]
Zech Medley [KV Oostende]
Mark McGuinness [Cardiff]
Dinos Mavropanos [Stuttgart] Loan
Daniel Ballard [Millwall] Loan
Daniel Oyegoke [Brentford]
Ben Sheaf [Coventry]
Matt Smith [Doncaster] Loan
Matteo Guendouzi [Marseille] Loan
William Saliba [Marseille] Loan
Nikolaj Moller [Viktoria Koln] Loan
Deyan Iliev [SKF Sered] Loan
Tyreece John-Jules [Blackpool] Loan
Harry Clarke [Ross County] Loan