Arsenal have endured two lacklustre seasons under Mikel Arteta's stewardship.
The Gunners have finished eighth in both of the Spaniard's Premier League campaigns, leaving chief executive Edu with the tough task of rebuilding the squad this summer.
football.london reported back in May that the Brazilian was planning on signing at least five players in this transfer window and so far he has added promising young trio Ben White, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga to their ranks in a bid to freshen up an underperforming group of players.
Still, the north London club are far from done as a creative attacking midfielder and a goalkeeper to challenge current no.1 Bernd Leno are next on the agenda, with the likes of James Maddison and Aaron Ramsdale linked as potential signings in the two respective positions.
football.london understands that Newcastle United have agreed on a fee in excess of £20million for Hale End graduate Joe Willock, money that the Gunners' faithful hoped would make paying the reported £60m asking price for the aforementioned Maddison more feasible.
However, football.london understands that Leicester and Arsenal are still some way apart in their valuation of the former Norwich playmaker, leaving Edu to explore cheaper options in the market in the event that a deal for the 24-year-old cannot be completed this month.
A large section of the north London club's fanbase then took to social media to voice their frustrations at the news, urging Edu to pay the Foxes' asking price instead of settling for cheaper alternatives. Here is how a select few reacted to the news on Twitter.
@Crispy_85 : "Aouar. Reported €25-30m. Get it done. Forget Ramesdale and get Onana. And use what every cash/player sales and push for another midfielder."
@scarface300 _: "But we were happy to spend £50m on Ben white when we could’ve kept Saliba & invested elsewhere..."
@Barkahh14 : "Pay £60m it’s easy! CHAPS payment same day. Done and dusted! Sort it out Mikel! Sort it out Edu!"
@Siddinh0 : "Maddison, Trippier needed asap."
@ciaren_ryan : "If they’re exploring cheaper options why haven’t they gone back for Aouar yet? Makes zero sense."
Maddison notched 11 goals and ten assists across all competitions last season, the kind of output from midfield that Arsenal are currently crying out for.
In fact, the English international registered 0.27 xA (expected assists) and 4.69 shot-creating actions last term. Comparatively, young playmaker Emile Smith Rowe averaged just 0.18xA and 2.69 shot-creating actions for the Gunners.
