Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners eyeing Newcastle winger; club eager to sign Declan Rice, and more - May 2, 2023
Arsenal lock horns with Chelsea at the Emirates on Tuesday (May 2) in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's side need to pick up three points to remain in the title race.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are interested in a Newcastle United winger. Elsewhere, the north London side remain keen to take West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice to the Emirates.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer news from May 2, 2023.
Arsenal eyeing Allan Saint-Maximin
Arsenal are interested in Allan Saint-Maximin, according to Fichajes via Caught Offside.
The Frenchman has dropped out of favour at Newcastle United in recent months and is no longer first-choice under Eddie Howe. The 26-year-old could be offloaded at the end of the season, and the Gunners are planning to move for him.
Arteta remains eager to shore up his attack and wants to add more trickery and flair to his wide position. Saint-Maximin has the attributes to slot into the Spaniard's tactics and could be an astute buy for the north London side.
The French winger's arrival would provide much-needed cover for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Arsenal are willing to pay £30 million for his services, but the Magpies might be wary of strengthening a direct rival.
Gunners eager to sign Declan Rice
Arsenal are quite interested in securing the services of Declan Rice, according to journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
The English midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates ahead of the summer. The 24-year-old's contract with West Ham United runs out in just over a year, but he's not keen on extending his stay.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Sheth said that the Gunners could submit a big bid for Rice this summer.
"We know that Arsenal want to bring in a central midfielder, and we know that Declan Rice is someone that they are very, very seriously interested in. So you'd expect them to go back in and test the resolve of West Ham United with a big bid and see if they can bring someone like him to the football club," said Sheth.
He added:
"Would he have improved them previously? Yes, but I think it's by the by because I don't think it would have been a realistic option for them to sign him in either of the last two transfer windows.”
Chelsea are also interested in bringing their former youth player to Stamford Bridge.
Mikel Arteta optimistic about title challenge
Mikel Arteta remains bullish about Arsenal's title challenge this season. The Gunners suffered a setback in their quest for the Premier League after suffering defeat at Manchester City last week. They subsequently dropped down to second in the leaguethis weekend, a point behind leaders City, who have a game in hand.
Speaking ahead of their game against Chelsea, Arteta hailed his team for securing qualification for the Champions League.
"Within the disappointment and the spirit around (the club), we need to do two things - recognise what a lot of people around the club have done to get us back into the Champions League, which was already a difficult thing to achieve," said Arteta.
He added:
“Not a lot of people were very optimistic that we had the ability to do that at the start of the season, and we need to start recognising the good work that a lot of people have done to achieve that."
The Spanish manager also said that the north London side can still win the league, as a lot could change in the next five games.
“The second thing - which I like the most - is that even achieving that with six games to go - something that hasn’t happened in more than a decade at this club - that we are still not satisfied, still upset, and we want more. If we want the club to be consistently with the best, that’s the mentality we need, and that’s what I’ve loved most over the last few days," said Arteta.
He continued:
“We can still achieve the Premier League because there are five games to go, and there are a lot of things that are still going to happen. What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game at home with our people for a London derby and put things right.”
Arsenal can pile the pressure on the Cityzens by securing three points against the Blues.