Arsenal are looking to overhaul their squad this summer but Unai Emery is struggling thus far to manage with a mere £45m budget.
The Gunners had an initial £15m bid for Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney rejected with the Scottish champions asking for £25m, however, the player’s £70,000 wage demands should not prove to be a stumbling block.
Emery may look to sellLucas Torreira in order to bolster his budget, with the Uruguayan being targeted by AC Milan.
Torreira recently revealed that he has found little to love about life in London in his first year with the Gunners, and is keen to reunite with new Milan boss Marco Giampaolo, who he starred under at Sampdoria.
However, Football.London reports that Torreira has not told the Gunnners he wants to leave.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Yannick Carrasco has taken a dent, after the player’s agent confirmed Dalian Yifang’s stance remains that the Belgian is not for sale, despite recently suspending him for returning late from international duty.
According to The Sun, Emery may ask Arsenal’s hierarchy to splurge on Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, however, the prospect of any deal remains extremely remote with the South Londoners demanding well in excess of the Gunners’ budget for the player.
Similarly, Real Madrid have put a £44m asking price on Dani Ceballos, which is also likely to rule out Arsenal’s interest.
However, it’s in the centre of defence where Unai Emery appears most keen to use the bulk of his transfer budget.
French World Cup-winning centre-backs Samuel Umtiti and Presnel Kimpembe have both been identified as potential targets, however, their valuation could equally provide difficulty.
Emery worked with Kimpembe at PSG and is keen to reunite with the 23-year-old, according to Le 10 Sport. However, the French champions are expected to demand a price in the region of £35m, which would virtually wipe out the entirety of Arsenal’s summer transfer budget.
Instead, Arsenal are now looking at 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund defender Dan-Axel Zagadou, who may become available after the German side re-signed Mats Hummels from Bayern Munich.
Laurent Koscielny could make that position even harder to fill, with the veteran club captain yet to make a decision over his future, with just one-year remaining on his current contract.
Lyon have reportedly offered the 34-year-old a two-year deal, while Rennes and Bordeaux are both considering making approaches.
