Arsenal round-up: Three priority targets; Lemar chase threatened by rivals; Aleksandr Golovin could sign

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Arsenal have yet to make a major transfer breakthrough, but it remains early in the window and there is plenty of time for them to get targets in before the start of pre-season. The Mirror report that Arsene Wenger has identified Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette and Thomas Lemar as his priority summer targets. They all have a good pedigree in Ligue 1 and would be great signings for the Gunners, but the club face a difficult battle to convince them to move to North London.

This isn’t a ground-breaking update from the Mirror, as it is well known that all three players are on the Gunners’ radar. The one they have the best chance of attaining is Lacazette, as he has reached the end of his career in Ligue 1 and needs to move to a bigger league if he is to fulfil his potential. Mbappe and Lemar could both stay at Monaco for another season, which would leave Arsenal scrambling around for new targets. It is unlikely that the North London side manage to attract all three to the Emirates Stadium.

The chase for Lemar has been complicated by Chelsea’s impending signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko, as the Ligue 1 champions don’t want their squad to be ripped apart, according to the Mirror. They have already sold Bernardo Silva and it is unlikely that they will let both of Bakayoko and Lemar follow him out of the door. Arsenal are keen on the 21-year-old Monaco man and they will make a move for him during the coming weeks, but it could be a difficult deal to complete.

This window is crucial to Arsenal and they can’t afford to waste time chasing difficult deals. If they sense that this is one that won’t happen, they need to move on to other targets. That said, Monaco are a club that pitches itself to young players as a stepping stone to greater things and if Lemar is keen on a move, there will be an opportunity to use the player’s desire to force a move through. The Frenchman would be a great signing for the club, but the Gunners need to be emphatic in their dealings and move on if required.

A player that may be moving to the Emirates Stadium is Aleksandr Golovin, with Russian website ftbl.ru suggesting that he will sign for the Gunners before being loaned back to CSKA Moscow for a year. This comes just days after sports.ru reported that the club were in negotiations for a £10 million deal for the Russian international.

This needs to be treated with caution as it has yet to be picked up by the English media. Golovin is a raw player who has talent, but there are doubts about his mentality to thrive at a higher level. It would be a risky transfer and the fact that he will be loaned back to CSKA Moscow suggests that the Gunners have similar thoughts. Whether this one goes through or not, it isn’t a transfer that will affect the first team immediately. The club need to focus on next season rather than the future and this seems like an unnecessary deal to do.

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