“Still open” Arsenal get huge boost to sign Manchester City cult hero

You’d think that Arsenal have rinsed Manchester City enough. Not only did they steal their previous assistant manager, but they’ve conned them out of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who have been two of the best players in the league this season.

However, Arsenal are not done there. We reported a few days ago that Mikel Arteta was among those interested in signing Ilkay Gundogan, with the Manchester City star out of contract in a few months and available as a free agent. At the time, it looked like he was set to join Barcelona, though.

But not anymore. According to the latest from Goal, Gundogan’s agent has confirmed no agreement has been made with any club and that his future is still open. Obviously, he got some cliché PR statements in there like Gundogan is only focused on City, but we as the public know that’s not entirely true.

With the new-found rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester City, it would be hard to say for certain whether the North London club is a viable destination for Gundogan. However, he does have some former pals in Zinny and Jesus there, so I’m sure they’ll do their best to persuade him.

For now, though, this seems like nothing short of a pipe dream for Arsenal. Besides, they have other better options and they’re not the type of club to go for a worse player purely for convenience – not anymore, anyway.

Declan Rice remains at the top of the hierarchy for the Arsenal recruitment team. They have long admired the West Ham general and want to make the move for him in the summer. Rice is seen as a player who could seriously adapt to Arteta’s philosophy, transforming him from a good midfielder to one of the best in the league, if not world.

Who do you think Arsenal will sign in the summer?