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Premier League leaders Arsenal succumbed to a 4-1 defeat at second-placed Manchester City at the Etihad on Wednesday (April 26). A Kevin De Bruyne brace and goals from Erling Haaland and John Stones brought the Citizens to within two points of Mikel Arteta’s team.
Meanwhile, a super agent has backed the Gunners to sign two English midfielders in the summer. Elsewhere, Barcelona are willing to offload midfielder Raphinha this summer to help fund a move for Lionel Messi.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on April 27, 2023:
Arsenal eyeing English duo
Super agent Haydn Dodge has backed Arsenal to sign both Declan Rice and Mason Mount this summer.
Mikel Arteta is eager to streamline his midfield and has set his sights on the West Ham United midfielder. Mount, meanwhile, is also highly regarded at the Emirates following his impressive performances for Chelsea. Both players will enter the final year of their contracts this summer but are reluctant to sign a new deal.
In his column for Caught Offside, Dodge said that the Gunners have been in touch with both players ahead of the summer.
“Declan Rice has always been a recruitment target for Liverpool, but I’m also being told that he would like to stay around London. I know Mason Mount was a big target for Liverpool around the same time, but both Mount and Rice may be Arsenal-bound, and I know there are some communications with Arsenal to have those two based in their midfield,” wrote Dodge.
He added:
“I think Rice suits Arsenal’s style of play and has everything needed as a modern day midfielder.”
Arteta will have to further invest in the squad this summer to continue his impressive reign at the north London side.
Barcelona willing to offload Raphinha to fund Lionel Messi move
Barcelona are willing to listen to offers for Raphinha amid interest from Arsenal, according to AS.
Arteta is a long-term admirer of the Brazilian, who turned down a move to the Emirates last summer to join the Blaugrana. The 26-year-old has been in decent form for the La Liga leaders this season, amassing nine goals and ten assists from 42 games across competitions.
However, Barcelona are willing to let him leave to fund a move for Lionel Messi. The Argentinean is in the final months of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain but hasn’t signed a new deal yet. The La Liga giants want to bring their prodigal son back to the Camp Nou but need to offload players to address the financial aspects of the move.
The Blaugrana are ready to capitalise on the interest in Raphinha from the Premier League. Apart from the Gunners, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are also eyeing the Brazilian. Barcelona are likely to demand a profit on the £55 million they paid for the player last summer.
Mikel Arteta urges team to move on from defeat at Etihad
Mikel Arteta has urged his team to quickly move on from the demoralising defeat at the Etihad on Wednesday. Arsenal were taken to task by a ruthless City side who have taken control of the title race.
After the defeat, Arteta admitted that Pep Guardiola’s side were the better team on the night. However, the Gunners manager said that his players shouldn’t let the defeat affect them.
“We have to accept that the better team won. They were much better than us; they were more efficient, especially in the first half. They competed for every ball, with a different intensity, purpose and determination. We lost too many of those duels, and we ended up defending when we were in really good positions, defending in open places against those players which is the last thing that you want to do,” said Arteta.
He continued:
“We have to move on. We will be very silly if this affects us in the next few weeks, so this is a difficult one. We have to accept the reality, and then, we have to move on. We have to try to help the players and paint the reality of where we are. Today, they played against a team that were the best at that level. It’s who can keep at that level, that is the question.”
The north London side next face Chelsea on Tuesday (May 2).
